Superwomen of Eva: Iron Resolve
by OrionPax09
Summary: Mana Kirishima is the daughter of a scientist with a knack for machinery. Who is completely unaware of the legacy her father has been protecting, and the way it will change her life forever...
1. The Beginning of an End

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Marvel Comics or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Superwomen of Eva: Iron Resolve

Chapter 1: The Beginning of an End

As consciousness slowly intruded on the blissful world of slumber that Mana enjoyed, the first thing she became aware of was a noise of some kind. It was brief in duration but quick to repeat itself, and worst of all, it was annoying. So annoying that it was slowly dragging her from her restful slumber.

"Yoohoo! Mana!" came another voice, a familiar one that Mana couldn't place in her condition. "Wakey-wakey! It's time to get up!"

Groaning miserably at this, Mana shifted about in her bed, sleepily drawing her blankets up over her head. "Aw…" she groaned, not at all willing to wake up and face the day. "…Just five more minutes…"

"That's what you said last time! And _that _was precisely ten minutes and thirty-six seconds ago!" the voice informed her with a good deal more impatience. "Look, Mana, let me spell it out for you; either you get out of bed right this second, or I'm breaking out the big guns!"

"Wha…?" Mana wondered, her sleep-addled mind not up to the task of making sense of what was being told her. "Big…huh…?"

"Okay, that does it," the voice decreed with weary resignation. "Big guns it is."

An instant later, there was a mechanical whirr, and it was coming from somewhere beneath Mana. Alarm bells going off in her mind, she found herself slowly coming to full alertness. But it was a case of too little, too late as her cozy bed suddenly began to tilt. "Ah – what -?!" she cried out in dismay as the angle of the bed quickly increased, until the inevitable occurred and Mana was sent sliding off of her bed and crashing down upon a mat that had been set in place just for such occasions. _"Ouch!"_ she yelped, fully awake even as she was pelted by her blanket and pillow. "Aw, _Sid!"_

Quickly shoving aside the blanket and pillow, Mana sat up and glared at the one responsible for her current predicament, and found herself met with the ghostly image of a girl roughly her age with two pigtails almost as long as she was tall. But it was no ghost, and it wasn't truly a girl; the figure was female in form, but was turquoise in color, and was also transparent. "Sorry, Mana. But you know what a heavy sleeper you are," Sid returned with a coy smirk. "So...are you finally awake?"

"How could I still be asleep after _that?!"_ Mana incredulously demanded, shooting the holographic figure an intense glare of pure annoyance. Her father, Dr. Hiro Kirishima, was a brilliant scientist specializing in the fields of computer technologies and robotics. This was evidenced by both Mana's bed of humiliation, and the holographic representation of the AI Dr. Kirishima had developed to assist him in his many endeavors; the Synthetic Intelligence Data-Node Extrapolation Entity, or S.I.D.N.E.E. for short.

"It wouldn't be the first time you managed it." Rolling her eyes at Sid, as most people referred to her, Mana was brought up short when the holographic figure smiled in a dangerously playful manner, "So, are you ready to get up? Or do I have to give you both barrels?"

Wincing at this question, Mana looked up at her ceiling and groaned at the sight of the barrels in question. Suspended right over her head were two small barrels that she knew to be filled with cold water, the perfect thing for waking her up on the rare occasions when even the rigged bed wasn't enough to bring her back to the waking world. "No, you don't have to go that far," Mana muttered sourly as she rose up on her own accord. "So where's Dad at? Did he leave for work already?"

"No, he's currently having breakfast," Sid reported even as the bed returned to its normal horizontal orientation. "And if you hurry and get dressed, you'll even be able to have a conversation before he goes to work today."

That was all the incentive Mana needed to hurry to her wardrobe and start dressing. "Sid, do me a favor and tell Dad I'm coming!" Then she made a face, glanced up at the barrels once more, and added, "And _try_ to convince him to take down those stupid barrels! I know I'm a heavy sleeper, but there's _got _to be a better way of waking me up than _that!"_

Smiling helpfully at this, Sid responded, "I'll do both, but since this is the 156th time you've requested that he remove the barrels, I highly doubt that –"

"Just do it, Sid!" Mana grumbled impatiently even as she doffed her pajamas. To Sid's credit, she promptly winked out of sight, leaving Mana to shake her head. For while Sid was the most advanced AI in existence, exceeding the computational power of any one MAGI computer and even possessing a personality that did an excellent job of conveying a genuinely sentient person, her sense of humor, simulated or otherwise, did tend to wear thin.

As Mana sighed and wondered if she could convince her father to give Sid a much-needed reprogramming, she set about the business of getting herself at least modestly cleaned up and dressed. Rummaging about in her wardrobe, she soon found a pair of clean white socks, as well as a sleeveless white shirt and a red skirt with crisscrossing yellow stripes. Deciding that this would do for her day's attire, she made her way into the bathroom.

The first thing Mana did was quickly wash herself up somewhat, cleaning her face and basically making herself more presentable. Once this was done, she combed out her short auburn hair and then paused to study herself in the mirror. She was an attractive girl of fourteen, wore her hair short mainly because she didn't like fussing with it, and possessed a modest build and cute face. She wasn't the glamor type of girl, though, not the kind that could get away with using her feminine wiles to basically enslave boys to her will, and she doubted that she wanted to be that way, anyway. All in all, an average, ordinary girl leading an ordinary life.

_Except for…well, a lot of stuff,_ Mana admitted as she quickly dressed, eager to get out to the dining room while she still had time. _None of the other kids at school have their own live-in holographic AI._

As it happened, luck was with Mana that day. Her father was seated at the dining room table, enjoying a modest breakfast of toast with bread and jam. As he raised his cup of tea to take a sip, he took notice of his daughter's approach. "Good morning, Mana," he greeted her cheerfully even as he set his cup down. "Well, you look more-or-less dry. I guess I won't have to refill the barrels after all."

Wincing at the mention of the barrels, Mana shook her head before seating herself. "Dad, I really wish you would just take those stupid things down," she pleaded of him. "It's bad enough you rigged my bed to dump me on the floor, but _that -!"_

Chuckling deep in his throat, Hiro replied, "Now, now, Mana! You remember our deal! You go thirty days without oversleeping, and I'll take down the barrels!" Taking a bite out of a piece of toast, he gave her a playful wink and added, "And since you've yet to make it a week without Sid having to dump you out of bed…well, there you go."

Making a face of cute annoyance at her father, Mana muttered, "You never had a problem with _Mom_ oversleeping…"

As a dark shadow appeared on her father's face, a shadow of pain and loss, Mana sucked in a breath of shame, and immediately cursed herself for her stupidity. But even as she did so, Hiro managed to recover and shot her a playful smile. "Yes, and so you want to know why?" When the auburn-haired girl just sat there, saying nothing, he went on to say, "Because I _liked_ it when she overslept. It meant that I could be warm and cozy and have something nice and soft to keep me company in bed. And that I had something wonderful to wake up to each morning." As Mana blinked a few times at this, the doctor snorted a laugh and added, "Besides, if I tried adding any gadgetry to our bed in order to wake her up, _I_ would have been on the receiving end of it as well! And I have to put up with enough at work without having to worry about that!"

Now it was Mana's turn to chuckle. "And speaking of work…how's everything going at the university? Any problems with the new computer interface?"

"No, none so far," Hiro reported. "There are still a few bugs to work out of the system, but it won't be long now before the new interface will be ready. If you like, I can have Sid bring you up to speed on the exact details."

Mana let out a slight groan of disappointment at this, despite being unsurprised. Though she knew her father loved her, he wasn't the biggest conversationalist she knew. About the only thing he really knew how to talk about with her was his work, and in regards to some projects, he didn't really like discussing them. Especially when it came to the ones that he considered to be rather boring, which seemed to categorize this latest endeavor.

And while Mana could certainly appreciate this, and was even used to her father being this way, she still couldn't help but be saddened and even a bit frustrated at how he spent so much of his time focused on his work. Even at home, he preferred to have Sid relay things to his daughter, rather than speaking to her himself.

Heaving a low, quiet sigh, Mana did her best to not be overly disappointed at her inability to get her father to actually talk to her and moved on to another topic. "Well, maybe you can talk to me about it at the science fair."

This got a reaction from Dr. Kirishima, but the puzzled frown he gave Mana was not the kind of reaction she had been hoping for. "Science fair?"

Getting a bad feeling at the way he blankly repeated these words, Mana furrowed her brows. "The school science fair!" When these words failed to budge the furrowed brows that made clear her father's confusion, her concern increased and she added, "The one that Haruka and Reiko and I have been working on?! The maglev train?!"

Dr. Kirishima's eyes opened and closed a few times before comprehension appeared in them. "Oh, right, right! The one with the superconductor you worked up, right!" Letting go a sigh of relief that her father hadn't completely forgotten, Mana found her hopes increasing when he said, "Well, sure! Of course! I mean...when is that, anyway? Next month?"

Those last two words were all that were needed to cut Mana's relief short, and once again twist her insides into worried knots. "Uh...it's actually _this _month." A beat passed before she added, "This weekend, in fact."

The way Dr. Kirishima's eyes flew open at this was all the proof Mana needed that she was in for further disappointment. "This weekend? As in..._this_ weekend?!" he asked in a voice of embarrassed disbelief. "You're sure about that?"

Groaning her dismay, Mana retorted, "Dad, it's written on the calendar! I've even got an advertisement for the fair on the fridge!" When Dr. Kirishima simply sat there, looking at her, the auburn-haired girl looked about and demanded, "Sid, back me up here!"

"Mana's right, Dr. Kirishima," Sid announced even as her holographic avatar resolved into existence. As Hiro looked at the AI, she went on to explain, "You even had me log the date of the science fair so you wouldn't forget it."

A beat passed before Dr. Kirishima asked, "And you didn't remind me of this...why?"

"I have. Several times, in fact," Sid informed him with what appeared to be a trace of annoyance. "Unfortunately, you fail to remember things the same way that Mana fails to wake up in the morning."

A noise of hesitation and a bit of shame escaped Dr. Kirishima's lips at this point. "Oh. Umm..." he hesitated, glancing between Mana and Sid for a time, with the auburn-haired girl dreading what he would say next. With that dread being made real when he asked, "Uh, Sid, do me a favor and check the floater camera. Make sure that it's ready, and -!"

_"Dad!"_ Mana protested, thinking of that miserable invention of her father's that was a cross between an RC helicopter and a digital camcorder, looked like a UFO from an old movie, and was quite likely the one invention of his that she had wanted nothing more than to take a sledgehammer to. For he had built it as a substitute for himself. Something that Sid could use to attend anything special Mana was doing on Dr. Kirishima's behalf and record it for him when he was too busy to be her father.

"Just in case, Mana!" Dr. Kirishima promptly assured her, intuiting what she was thinking.

"That's what you said at Christmas! And on my _birthday!"_ Mana reminded him in a far harsher manner than she had intended to. Not wanting to go into detail on all the other times the camera had appeared in her life instead of him.

Even as Mana was wincing at the way she had spoken, painfully aware that it would take very little to corrupt one of the few times when she was able to spend time with her actual, flesh-and-blood father into an ugly argument. And it was clear from the heavy frown marking Dr. Kirishima's face that he was aware of this. "Look, Mana...I'm sorry," he told, his voice making it clear that he knew how many times he had made similar apologies. "But...this new project...it's really important, and..."

_More important than me?_ Mana was sorely tempted to demand. With only her mild nature and desire to avoid a shouting match keeping her from doing so.

"...And I really...there's so much that I need to get done!" Dr. Kirishima continued. "The interface...you have no idea how important it is!"

_Because you won't tell me!_ Mana countered inwardly. _The only things I know about it is that the university wants a way for the human brain to synch with a computer! You don't tell me why, or what it's for, or -!_

" - incredibly complicated!" Dr. Kirishima continued, heedless of Mana's inner torment. "Me and Dr. Gakusha have spent _months_ on this! And it needs to be completed before our grant runs out!"

_I'm not asking for months, Dad!_ Mana pleaded in her mind. _Just a day! One day out of the whole week! I just want you to be there for once! Not a robot camera!_

" - and I will do my best to make it!" Dr. Kirishima continued. Pausing to give his daughter a look, he let go a weary sigh, and once more, a deep shadow of sorrow appeared on his face. "Now, I _am _sorry I forgot. And I realize that I...I...haven't exactly been the best of fathers. But I...I'll do my best," he told her in a solemn, almost weary voice. Then, with a forced, fake smile Mana knew all too well. "I'll really try and make it to the science fair. And...maybe later, we could...you know, do something fun. Go out to the movie, maybe?"

At these words, Mana's disappointment deepened, as well as taking on a different tone. Moving dangerously close to true anger. "Dad, you promised that _last _week," she reminded him, doing her best to reign herself in. For while she wanted her father to act like her father, she didn't want to completely destroy the all-too-rare moment they were sharing by turning breakfast into an argument. "Look, I..." she began, pausing to carefully consider her next words. "I know you've been...been busy and all, but...you're hardly ever here! You don't talk to me about what you're doing, you...you...!"

Caught between the need to express her unhappiness and the pain that was twisting into something more dangerous, as well as the knowledge of what that pain could ultimately make her say, Mana fell into an uncomfortable silence. Leaving the two Kirishimas unable to do anything but look at each other, until Hiro sighed and smiled. "Look, we'll talk about it some other time. But you have to get to school, and I have to get to work."

"Huh?" Mana started even as her father got up and out of his chair. "But you haven't..." she began, only to look at the breakfast he had been eating...only to find that he had somehow finished it while giving her his usual litany of excuses.

As Mana sat there, staring at the empty dishes and wondering how her father had polished off his admittedly meager meal without her realizing it, she became aware of her father's motions. Looking up, her mouth fell in surprise when she saw him at the door, briefcase in hand and that same smile on his face. "Be sure to get to school on time, alright?" he asked as he opened the door. "I'll see you later, Mana. Love you."

"Uh - Dad, _wait!"_ Mana called out, but her protest was in vain as her father disappeared out the door. Blinking a few times in surprise, the auburn-haired girl sank back in her seat.

As she sat there, staring aimlessly at a breakfast she no longer had the appetite to finish, Sid piped up. "Dr. Kirishima's right, Mana," the AI spoke. "You need to get going soon."

Not caring about school or much of anything else at the moment, Mana turned her eyes towards the hologram. "Be honest with me, Sid," she began, speaking in a mix of sadness and dread anticipation. "Those...recordings you make for Dad? Of my birthdays and stuff?" Pausing to take a saddened breath, she asked, "Does Dad...does he even...watch them?"

"Yes, he does," Sid quickly assured her.

"The whole thing?" Mana wondered, wanting the full truth of this matter. "All the way through?"

A beat passed as Sid considered this before. "He...plays them all the way through. And he...he listens to them while he works. But..."

Holding up her hand at this, Mana issued a sigh. "I get the idea," she muttered, letting her head fall forward in despair. And as she did so, thoughts of better, happier times dancing in the back of her mind. Of a time when her father didn't rely on technology to fill in for him at every opportunity. When his work had not been the only thing that he was willing to spend his time on.

_When Mom was still alive,_ Mana thought somberly, glancing over at a wall, where hung a photograph of her family before it had been broken. _When we lost her...I lost Dad as well..._

* * *

><p><em>I really am sorry, Mana,<em> Hiro Kirishima thought once more as he stood in his laboratory at the university where he worked. The place that often felt more like home to him these days than his own place of residence. The only place where he could truly allow himself outlet. To relax in his role as a doctor, as a scientist.

The only place that wasn't filled with painful ghosts of his past. And a beloved girl that he didn't dare allow himself to truly relax around. Simply because he was afraid of speaking around her. Of letting slip the horrors that, on the day of his wife's funeral, he had promised he would do everything he could to protect her from.

_And I _have _to protect her,_ Hiro thought, his brows furrowed in determination as he thought back to that fateful day of tragedy. To the explosion that had ripped apart the laboratory building that had been his previous place of work, a place that he had seen as little more than a stepping stone in his plans and goals. An explosion that had very nearly claimed his life and _had _taken the life of his beloved wife. Had shattered his little family, possibly beyond any hope of recovery. _Narumi, I know you would have understood._ But even as this forceful though echoed in his mind, he let out a weary sigh. _I just hope that...Mana understands. Someday._

But as Hiro worked in his laboratory, studying the information scrolling down the holographic display before him, he couldn't help but sigh, because he also knew that there was a great deal that Mana might not understand. And more importantly, he knew that, through his own actions, justifiable as they were, had done a great deal of damage to their relationship. His work kept him away from home, and he had missed a great of Mana's life as she was slowly growing into a young woman. He had come to depend on his creations to relay bits and pieces of his life to her, and to give him a window into her own life when he continued to bury himself in his work. When all he would have to do would be to take some time off, even one day...

_But I can't. There's no time, not anymore,_ Hiro reminded himself, cutting off his dissenting thoughts_.__ The Angels have returned. NERV is now out in the open. Which means that whatever is going to happen, it's going to happen relatively soon._

And that, in a very real way, was the most hellish part of Hiro's reality, the world he had done so much to keep Mana safe from. For while he knew he was working against a deadline, he didn't know precisely when that deadline was. It could be months away, or it could be years. Nor could he predict the exact consequences if he were to fail to beat that deadline and accomplish his goals.

All he knew was the words of people who had put their faith in him. Along with a horrible feeling borne of past experience that twisted about his insides, telling him that the consequences would be horrible beyond belief.

_And that's why I _have_ to do this,_ Hiro declared inwardly, doing his best to shove his internal debate off to the side, if only for the moment. _Besides, we're close now. _Very _close. Just a little more work, more research, and then..._

"Dr. Kirishima," came Sid's voice, startling him from his dour thoughts. Looking up from the holographic display, he watched as the AI's holographic avatar resolved into existence. "The latest set of simulations have been completed."

"Excellent," Hiro returned, grateful for this distraction from his thoughts and inner torments. "And have you started the analysis?"

"Already in progress, as per your instructions," Sid confirmed in the all-business manner that Hiro preferred in the university. "So far, though, the new synaptic interface is looking good. This new program should improve the efficiency of the interface by 19.2%."

"Great," Hiro replied, genuinely pleased with this development. "Log your findings and generate backup files. Standard procedure."

"Understood, Dr. Kirishima," Sid returned with a polite bow of her head.

Smiling at this minor triumph, Hiro thought of the new synaptic interface he had developed, a project that was going to do more than simply advance the project he was working on at the university. The data on it, like so many other projects he had taken on, was already being sent home, as per the standard procedure he had implemented for them. A procedure that, as far as anyone who might have been monitoring his activities, would have thought to be completely harmless. Simply backing up his data to his home computer. A precautionary measure, just in case there was a problem with the university computers. All completely legitimate, in light of the contract he had negotiated, as long as he didn't try to sell the technology to anyone.

Hiro had no intention of selling the technology he developed. But that didn't mean he didn't have other plans for it.

_Still, this _is _progressing nicely. Even better than I had anticipated,_ Hiro noted with a sense of subdued pride. _Hmm...maybe I _will _be able to spare a day for the science fair after all..._

Even as Hiro thought this, Sid spoke up. "Dr. Kirishima?" she began, the gravity in her voice instantly setting off alarm bells in his mind. "I'm sorry, but Dr. Gakusha is at the door. She says she wants to talk to you."

"Kyoko?" Hiro replied, raising an eyebrow at this. "Huh. I guess she's done with the redesign of the neurolytic synchronizer." Hoping that this was the case, if only because it would mean that they were even closer to the completion of their project, the doctor looked at the AI. "Let her in, Sid."

"Okay," Sid promptly replied, and a moment later, the door to Hiro's lab swung open, revealing an attractive woman in her early thirties. She was of average height, with long, dark hair, and wore horn-rimmed glasses, as well as a respectable business outfit and a lab coat. "Good afternoon, Dr. Gakusha."

"Hello, Sidnee," Kyoko replied with a pleasant smile and a bow of her head even as she entered the lab proper. Then she focused her attention on Hiro. "Dr. Kirishima."

"Kyoko," Hiro returned, preferring a less formal approach them his counterpart. "Always a pleasure."

Nodding to this, Kyoko glanced over at the AI. "Sidnee, I hate to bother you, but...would you mind...?"

Even as Kyoko trailed off, Sid nodded her understanding. "Of course, doctor." An instant later, her holographic avatar faded, quickly dissipating into nothingness.

Glancing in the direction where Sid's holographic form had once been, Hiro then looked at Kyoko. "You should know by now that Sid's hologram is just something I made to make interacting with her easier. She can still see and hear everything we do."

"And _you _should know by now that it's not privacy I'm after," Kyoko replied in a polite, business-like fashion. "Sidnee _is _a marvelous innovation, Doctor, and she really is a testament to your capabilities as a scientist. An artificial intelligence system that is even more sophisticated than the MAGI, and at the same time, acts and interacts with others in a nearly human fashion." Giving a mild snort, the doctor cocked her head to the side and added, "But she _isn't_ human. And I really would have preferred it if you hadn't tried to make her like one."

Giving a slight roll of his eyes, Hiro found himself tempted to have a laugh at his colleague's expense. He was fully aware of how a few people were slightly put off by what was known as the Uncanny Valley effect in regards to Sid, how she was close to human, but not quite. And Kyoko happened to be one of them. "Well, I don't know what to tell you. Most people seem to be just fine with Sid." Then, with a hint of laughter, he added, "Including the Board of Trustees."

Kyoko's polite smile faltered somewhat at this. "I know. They're quite fond of Sidnee," she admitted, a tension in her voice that wasn't there before. "Ever since they gave her full access to the campus systems, she's been taking care of pretty much everything for us. And the fact that we have the only AI that can come close to the MAGI in terms of computing power certainly doesn't hurt the school's reputation."

"Actually, Sid is even more powerful than the MAGI. Well, any _one _of them, at least," Hiro returned, seeing no point in false modesty in this respect.

"So you've told me," Kyoko returned, still speaking in that tense manner.

Getting the feeling that changing the topic might be a good idea, Hiro asked, "So, then, Dr. Gakusha, how can I be of service to you?"

A beat passed before Kyoko replied, "Well, first, I finished reworking the neurolytic synchronizer."

"Great! I was hoping that was the case!" Hiro returned, genuinely pleased. "So, where's the data?"

"Already tucked safely away in the university's central computer. It's filed in our project directory, under neurolytic synchronizer," Kyoko returned with a note of pride. "The hardware is still in my lab. You could look it over if you like."

"Sure, no problem," Hiro replied agreeably.

"Also, there is another matter I wanted to discuss," Kyoko went on, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I've been going over the specifications for the neuro-analyzer, and I think I've found a way we can increase the data conversion rate by a factor of 1.18."

This immediately grabbed Hiro's attention. "Really?"

"Yes. I redesigned the primary and secondary uplink, and I replaced the microchip we were using with a new design I was working on in a previous project," Kyoko explained. "I haven't had a chance to properly test the modifications, but so far, the results are encouraging. So...I'd appreciate it if you had Sid run the appropriate tests."

"Well, of course!" Hiro returned, even more pleased. If Kyoko was correct in her assessment, her contribution could well be the final piece in the puzzle. Not just of their college project, but for his own plans as well. The exact thing he needed to jumpstart his plans. "Have you filed the redesign on the central computer?"

"Most of it. But the most complete version is right here," Kyoko explained even as she reached into her lab coat pocket and pulled out a PDA. "I was making some adjustments, and...well, I thought I should tell you about it before I did anything further. I'd like to see how my redesigns fare before I make any more adjustments."

"Fair enough," Hiro nodded. "Well, if you'd be so kind as to send the file to Sid, we'll get to work on running the appropriate tests posthaste."

"Certainly," Kyoko replied, giving a polite bow of her head. A moment later, she was working on her PDA, rapidly tapping away at it. A few moments later, she lowered the PDA. "Done. Here's hoping that my little work passes whatever tests Sid tosses at them."

"I'm kinda hoping that myself," Hiro admitted. "Sid? Do me a favor and get to work on the data Kyoko sent you. Standard procedure."

"Of course, Dr. Kirishima," came Sid's voice, though the AI didn't manifest its holographic avatar.

Satisfied with, and the knowledge that Kyoko's contribution was presently on its way back home. And if it worked out, would then be incorporated into his own project. The potential salvation of the world.

_We're one step closer, Narumi. One step closer to completing the I-System and Ultron,_ Hiro thought with fresh hope. _Is this pans out, then all we'll need is a little more time - and a lot of luck - to make sure our daughter has a bright future to live in._

With this in mind, Hiro then focused on his counterpart. "Now, then, Kyoko, why don't we head over to your lab and look over that neurolytic synchronizer?"

"Certainly," Kyoko returned, and with that, the two of them departed his lab.

* * *

><p>"Come on, Haruka! Why are you wasting your time with that guy?!" asked a girl with short, black spiky hair who was presently seated opposite of Mana. "He's just a dumb jock! A filthy moron! Nothing upstairs but empty air and a bad attitude!"<p>

"Don't be that way, Reiko!" protested Haruka, a pleasant looking girl with long, orange-red hair. "Torazo really _is _a nice guy."

"He's a moron!" Reiko quickly countered in a scornful manner even as she took a bite of her hamburger. "A complete waste of space! The exact same kind of jerk as all the rest of his jock buddies!"

"Now that's not fair, and you know it!" Haruka countered in a somewhat pouty manner. "Besides, he's _not _dumb! He just...he's trying to keep up an image at school!"

"So not only is he stupid, he's being even dumber by trying to blend in better with the rest of idiots!" Reiko intolerantly countered.

Groaning in dismay at how intransigent her friend was being, Haruka looked about. "Look, I...Mana!"

"Hmm?" Mana frowned, looking up at the mention of her name.

"Could you _please _stop fussing with that thing and help me out here?!" Haruka pleaded of her friend.

At this, Mana glanced down at the device she had been laboring on, one of the magnetic field generators that were part of their project for the science fair, and sigh. It had already been a bad day, what with how her morning with her father had gone. And so when her friends and collaborators in the science fair project had suggested that they stop for a bite to eat after school, Mana had been all-too-willing to go along with them, if only so she could have a few sympathetic ears to listen to her woes, and an opportunity to properly distract herself.

Unfortunately, it had taken almost no time at all for Haruka and Reiko to lose themselves in the subject of the day, which was Haruka's boyfriend. Leaving Mana little refuge but to continue to fuss with one of the generators and see if she could squeeze a bit more energy out of it in an effort to better their chances at winning first prize, and to try and tune out what she saw as pointless bickering.

_And now, I have to try and remember what exactly they were talking about!_ Mana thought, her cheeks coloring as she struggled to think of what to say.

As Mana sat at the table of the fast food place, wishing she was someplace a lot more private, Haruka groaned despairingly. "Don't tell me you weren't listening!"

"What did you expect?" Reiko wondered in a coy manner. "Once Mana gets going on one of her little projects, she forgets about everything else!"

Sucking in a breath at this, Mana felt stung by this casual remark, and for two reasons. The first was the fact that there was a degree of accuracy to it. For while the auburn-haired girl wasn't introverted, she was still a bit shy and had difficulty in dealing with people at times. Something that was compounded by the fact that she sometimes said the wrong thing without even realizing it until it was too late.

But even worse was the fact that this accusation brought back her earlier confrontation with her father.

Mana knew she took after her father in several ways. They both had difficulty with dealing with others at times, and they both had a great gift when it came to science and technology. She had made a steam engine out of scrap metal and soda cans back when she was in elementary school, and was well-known for her knack with computers and machines. And she supposed that, growing up with a technological wizard like Hiro Kirishima, that was inevitable.

But the fact that she was doing the same sort of thing that her father did, getting so wrapped up in her own little world of machines and science that she ignored her own friends, couldn't make time for them...

_But it's not the same thing!_ Mana inwardly protested. _I'm trying to distract myself because they're having a stupid argument! Dad, he...he's gone practically all the time! He's locked himself out of my life! And it's been going on for...ever since..._

But even as Mana made this protest, she knew that her father was once the same way she was now. That before he had done everything he could to hide away in his own little science world, he would tune out conversations he found boring or pointless by busying himself the same way she was. That it had gotten worse after the violent death of his wife, Mana's mother.

And if he could come to so easily bury himself in his work, so readily exclude himself from Mana's life...

"I - I'm sorry, you two," Mana got out, shoving the magnetic device away, along with her inner torments, and looking shamefacedly at her friends. "It's just...I'm kinda down right now, that's all."

A beat passed as the two girls shared a look. "Don't tell me, let me guess," Reiko started with a knowing expression. "It's your father, right?"

Mana's initial reaction was for her mouth to pop open in surprise, but then surprise gave way to a resigned groan. "Is it _that _obvious?"

"Obvious?" Reiko wondered with a raised eyebrow. "Mana, since when you do you have problems with anything else?!" The auburn-haired girl opened her mouth to protest this assessment, only for it to fall shut again when she realized that her friend had a point. She didn't have much in the way of social issues, her scientific know-how and Sid's assistance made things such as homework a walk in the park. She wasn't a target for bullies, if only because there were other people that made for better targets.

"Reiko..." Haruka intoned in a mildly disapproving manner. Then, in a more sympathetic manner, she went on to ask, "I'm sorry, Mana. What's wrong?"

Mana opened her mouth to reply, but Reiko broke in with, "Don't tell us, let me guess; your Dad can't make it to the science fair, so he's sending the UFO again. Is that about it?" Wincing at this all-apt nickname for the floater camera, Mana gave a weary sigh, which apparently was all the answer that Reiko needed. "Mana, how many times do I have to say this? Your father's a jerk! And if he can't stick his head out of his lab long enough to -!"

"Reiko!" Haruka promptly countered.

"Don't you say something like that about my father, Reiko!" Mana declared, her friend's casually insensitive remark stinging deeply. "He's just...when my Mom died, he took it very badly, okay?"

"So badly that he can't bother to spend so much as a day with you?" Reiko countered with a raised eyebrow. When the auburn-haired girl issued a groan of annoyance, the spiky-haired girl sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I called your dad a jerk. But...seriously, Mana! It's been _three years _already!"

"I know," Mana returned, trying hard not to think about that day of three years ago. Of the lab explosion that had ruined the business where her father had once worked. An explosion that had brought down half the building upon many of the people that had worked there...and one innocent woman that had stopped by to surprise her husband. "But..."

"Reiko, give Mana a break!" Haruka pleaded of the dark-haired girl. "Some people just don't handle this sort of thing well! She can't help it if her dad is one of them!"

"But that doesn't give him the right to just completely ignore her! He's still Mana's father!" Reiko countered. "And he can't even bother to even to show up for...anything?! Seriously, I -!"

"Okay, that does it. I'm sorry I even brought it up," Mana groaned, unwilling and unable to take any more of this. She has hoped for some sympathy in regards to her plight, not to be the center of an argument. "Look, I'll see you two tomorrow, okay?"

"Huh?!" Haruka started as the auburn-haired girl gathered up her things and started away. "Uh - Mana, _wait!"_

But Mana didn't respond. The situation with her father already weighed heavily upon her, and while she could understand to a degree why Reiko would be so quick to condemn him, that didn't make it any less hurtful. And already burdened with disappointment and having her friend bring up such a painful point quickly made that hurt even worse. So she did the only thing she could think of; she quickly gathered up her things and hurried out the door as fast as she could.

But once she was about half a block away from the restaurant, Mana's pain subsided just enough for her guilt to reassert itself. _I shouldn't have done that..._ she niggled at herself, her stomach turning about as she replayed what had just happened in her mind. Those events weighing coming to settle upon her shoulders, causing her hurried dash to slow greatly. _Reiko...she was only being honest. I...could have told her to...I dunno..._

Her forward progress slowly to a crawl, her eyes falling upon the sidewalk, Mana issued another heavy sigh, her mind conjuring up all the ways she could have handled that situation differently. Handled it without running away from her friends, without allowing her difficulty in dealing with people get the better of her.

_Handled it some other way than...Dad would have..._ was the thought that echoed in Mana's mind. Just before a distant cry caught her attention.

Letting out a puzzled squeak, Mana stopped in mid-step and looked back over her shoulder. "Mana!" called a girl with flowing orange-red hair who was running towards her. "Wait up!"

"Haruka?" Mana returned, somewhat startled as her friend came rushing up to her side. "What...?"

"Listen, I'm _really _sorry about what Reiko said and everything!" Haruka blurted out, looking solemnly at Mana with clenched hands. "I - I'm sure she didn't mean it - well, you know how she is, and -!"

"No, it's okay, Haruka," Mana returned easily, grateful that at least one of her friends was being understanding. "I guess I should have seen it coming. Dad...I know he's..." Unable to think of a way to give voice to her grievances, especially after what happened with Reiko, the auburn-haired girl again sighed. "I just..."

"I know. You just wanted someone to talk to. Not someone to shoot you down for wanting your dad to...be your dad," Haruka assured her. "Look...if you like, we can talk about it on the way back to your place."

Starting somewhat at this, Mana returned, "But...are you sure? I mean...your apartment, it's on the other side of town, and..."

"Hey, I don't mind! I probably need the exercise, anyway!" Haruka assured her with a warm smile.

A moment was all Mana needed to smile in response and say, "Thanks. I really appreciate that." A beat passed before she added, "And for what it's worth, I think Torazo's a good guy, too." When Haruka looked at her, the auburn-haired girl added, "At least...he's always been nice to me."

Heaving a deep sigh of relief at this, Haruka replied, "Oh, God! Thank you, Mana!" Giving a slight chuckle, she added, "I _knew _you had more sense than Reiko!"

"Well, I wouldn't be so sure of that," Mana admitted. "If I had, I wouldn't have expected Reiko to give me a shoulder to cry on!"

This prompted an even deeper chuckle from Haruka. "You've got a point there!" Issuing a few more titters, the redhead patted Mana on the back. "C'mon! Let's get going!"

Grateful for Haruka's presence, Mana sighed, and as one, the two girls set off for the Kirishima residence. "You know, I really do appreciate this," she assured her friend. "Especially with...you know."

"Yeah, I know," Haruka returned. As the two teens continued along their way, the redhead looked thoughtfully at Mana and said, "You know...I'm sure you father isn't trying to hurt you or make you feel bad or anything. Like you said...what happened with your mother..."

Nodding even as Haruka trailed off, Mana replied, "I know that. And...believe me, I understand. I mean...we're a lot alike. We both tend to...bury ourselves in machines when...things get difficult." A beat passed before she added, "Now, don't get me wrong! I really like hanging out with you and Reiko, and...well, I don't mind a lot of stuff. But...I have an easier time figuring out a reciprocating positronic coupling or deciphering an oscillating interface signal than I do figuring out how not to screw up a conversation with the guys at school!"

"I guess machines _are _a lot more predictable than people are," Haruka admitted.

"Exactly!" Mana replied, warming to the subject. "And I've been around computers and Dad's inventions and Sid and everything else since...well since I was _born! _I can handle stuff like that, no problem! I bet I could take apart every car in the school parking lot and put them back together, even better than they were before!" Smiling at the thought of actually committing such an egregious act, the auburn-haired girl then sighed. "But...I know that...losing Mom...hurt him. I mean, I...there are days when I...I still can't believe that...she's really gone. But I never thought that..."

Nodding her sympathy to Mana, Haruka gave her a sorrowful, yet comforting look. "I don't know what to tell you, Mana. Some people...I guess it just takes them a long time to get past losing someone like that. Take Shihi in our class, for example! His father died over five years ago, and his mother -"

"Got so messed up that they wound up moving in with his uncle. I know," Mana returned, not at all comforted by the idea of winding up in a similar predicament. "And...I understand Dad was hurt. And...I'm not trying to force anything on him. But...I just want him to be a part of my life again! To...be there for me! To spend some time with me! Not a lot of it! I don't want him to wrap himself around me! I just...want us to do things together, the way we used it. That's all."

"Then talk to him about it. Maybe you could take the bus to the university, talk to him there," Haruka suggested. "It's worth trying, at least."

Considering this for a time, Mana slowly nodded. "I'll think about it. I can't see how it could make anything worse," she finally admitted. "Thanks, Haruka."

"No problem," Haruka beamed, clearly pleased that she could be of assistance. "Just remember, whatever you do, try and be patient with your father. He's been this way for a while now, so it's going to take him some time to...you know. Start being your dad again."

"I realize that," Mana assured her. "But...I really do want to be with him again. Because...well, I learned the hard that...you don't always get the chance to say or do...everything you want with someone. You know what I'm saying?"

"Oh, I understand. And...if you told him that, I'm sure that...your dad would understand as well." At this point, Haruka's smile broadened somewhat. "But to be honest, I wouldn't worry about not having time. I mean...he works at a _university _now! What could _possibly_ happen?"

"I think I'm happier _not _thinking about that sort of thing," Mana returned with a slight shudder.

* * *

><p>Miles away from where Mana stood, beneath the Earth's surface within the private colony established by NERV that was known as the Geofront, Gendo Ikari worked in within the confines of his office.<p>

The Commander of NERV was alone at the moment, dealing with certain issues and problems that were too important for him to be able to delegate to anyone else. Boring, tedious matters that were unfortunate thorns that came with the position of power he had worked so hard to secure for himself. But as distasteful as Gendo found such distractions to be, he still worked to see them down. For they were a small price to pay for the things that his power brought him.

For the ultimate goal he sought to achieve.

As Gendo continued to labor in the near darkness of what many called his lair, the minimal light shining in from the Geofront illuminating the Angelic glyphs that marked its various surface, the familiar ring of his phone sounded, immediately drawing his attention. For this phone was his secure line, a direct link for him to be contacted by in regards to situations or people that he could not afford for his secretary to intercept or eavesdrop.

Picking up the receiver and holding it to his ear, Gendo intoned, "This is Commander Ikari. Speak."

"Commander," came a deceptively mild voice. "I've got some good news."

Raising an eyebrow at this, Gendo asked, "What kind of...good news?"

"I've been monitoring one of you...former assets," the voice returned. "Do you remember Dr. Hiro Kirishima?"

The instant this name was mentioned, Gendo's interest was piqued. "What about him?"

"One of the people we had monitoring him has managed to get into his personal files. And was able to find something very special," the person on the other end explained, his voice becoming increasingly pleased and silky-smooth. "Heavily encrypted data files...conforming to Stark technology."

Stark. This name rang in Gendo's mind, causing him to flash back to memories of the time before Second Impact. To a man whose genius had created technological wonders that would have greatly advanced his own agendas, would have all but guaranteed certain victory against the Angels, if only they were under his control. "Has your operative been able to secure these files?"

"Unfortunately, no. Kirishima's security protocols are too tough to be breached. Not without alerting him unduly and giving him a chance to wipe out everything," the man on the other end of the line admitted. "However, we have been able to at least confirm the nature of information within the data files." A beat passed before the man added, "They're a perfect match to the data we have on Stark's arc reactor. And his greatest weapon."

At this, possibilities immediately began dancing in Gendo's mind, possibilities that he had thought long lost to him by the deviousness of the man who had given life to the technology that birthed them. "So...Kirishima has somehow secured Stark's legacy. And has been working to bring it back from the ashes of its creator."

"Certainly looks that way," the voice on the other end concurred. "Would you like me to handle this?"

"No," Gendo immediately returned. "Just send me whatever you have regarding Kirishima and the data you've obtained. I'll take care of the rest."

"Done," came the voice on the other end even as Gendo hung up. The paperwork on his desk forgotten in the wake of this revelation.

_So, Kirishima...you have access to Stark's technology...and were able to keep it secret from me all this time..._ Gendo thought, caught between elation and anger. Elation that the power that he had sought years past might well be once again within his reach. And anger that he had been cheated of that power for far too long by someone who had once dwelled within these halls. _You will pay dearly for keeping this from me..._

With this in mind, Gendo once again picked up his phone and hit the quick dial button for one of his operatives. It wasn't long before the person in question picked up. "Chiron here."

"Captain Chiron, report to my office immediately," Gendo intoned in a deadly cold manner. "I have a special assignment for you..."

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Recently, I was contacted by Rei-Fan, who had been working on "Superwomen of Eva: The Truth Is...", that heshe (I don't know which) felt that he/she could no longer continue work on the story as it was.

As such, I have decided to take over Mana's adventures in this story, "Superwomen of Eva: Iron Resolve". I hope all of you enjoy it!

Omake 1

"I don't believe this..." Sid grumbled as she looked down at the prone form of Mana, the AI's systems unable to decipher how in blazes the younger Kirishima could sleep through so much without being in a coma.

"I've already dumped you out of bed _and _given you both barrels!" Sid muttered almost despairingly as she looked at Mana, who was curled up on the floor, sopping wet from having two barrels full of cold water being dumped on her. "Why won't you wake up?!"

Mana didn't respond, saving for curling up even more tightly on the floor and smacking her lips a few times.

"Mana, _please _wake up!" Sid pleaded her human friend. "I really don't want to have to go with the nukes!"

If Mana heard the AI's words, she gave no indication of it. She simply stayed curled up on the floor, sawing timber like there was no tomorrow.

"Oh, _great...!"_ Sid moaned, knowing there was no way of getting out of it now. "Alright, fine! But just for the record, this is gonna hurt me more than it will you!"

With that, the AI sent the command that caused the walls of Mana's bedroom to slide open. Hidden beneath them were a set of massive woofers that were even now sliding into position for optimal deployment.

Once they were in place, Sid cast one final look at the sleeping girl. "This is your last chance, Mana!" the AI girl pleaded. "Don't make me do this!"

Mana's answer was to snore some more.

"Oh, _damn...!"_ Sid moaned even as she deactivated her audio receptors throughout the house. "Alright...nukes it is...!"

An instant later, the massive woofers came to life, blasting the room with, **_"WHAT'S NEW, PUSSYCAT? WHOA, WHOA! WHAT'S NEW, PUSSYCAT? WHOA, WHOA!"_**

The instant this audio onslaught began, everything within Mana's room began shaking as if being subjected to a perfect ten on the Richter Scale. And that included Mana herself, who was jolted almost all the way up to the ceiling by the auditory assault. When she subsequently came crashing back down to the floor, she cried out something that Sid couldn't hear. So the AI girl promptly deactivated the monstrous woofers, restored her audio receptors, and said, _"Please _tell me you're awake now...!"

"Awake?! I'll be lucky if I'm ever able to sleep again after that!" Mana cried out in dismay. "Sid -!"

"Don't blame me, Mana! I already tried everything else to get you to wake up!" Sid assured her. "Believe me, the last thing I wanted was to go this far! You _know _I hate Tom Jones! It scrambles my circuitry! And all that vibration kills my uplinks!"

"And you think it did _me _any favors?!" Mana demanded even as she cleared her ears.

"Well...at least it gets rid of earwax for you," Sid noted, drawing an irate scowl from Mana. "Uh...I'm gonna shut up now."

"Good choice," Mana grumbled sourly.

Omake 2

"Okay, move it, people, _move it!"_ Orion called out, his bullhorn magnifying his voice as he supervised the controlled chaos that was his production studio. "Misato, be careful with that arc reactor! One wrong move -!"

"I know, I know! A lot of equipment goes up in smoke," Misato returned, the gamma-powered woman looking a touch annoyed as she carried the massive generator.

"Ritsuko, Maya! How's the new wiring coming along?" Orion wondered somewhat impatiently.

"So far, so good!" Maya reported.

"But it _would _be going a lot smoother if you weren't looking over our shoulders all the time," Ritsuko noted in a snarky manner.

"Deal with it," Orion shot back impatiently. "Mari, Rei, how goes the reworking of those older sets?"

"Nearly done," Rei reported even as she used her board to reprocess the temporary sets. "These sets will now be suitable for full-time use, instead of just cameo appearances."

"Great. Just great," Orion nodded. "Shinji? We're gonna need some more stagehands and crew members to film this story! Any luck finding me some extra people?"

"Uh...some," Shinji returned as he looked through the directory of people with the needed skills. "I'm sorry, but...this _is _kind of short notice."

"I'm aware of that," Orion returned in a sardonic manner. "Just be sure to get me some qualified hands! And I'm _definitely _gonna need an extra script doctor while we're at it! Asuka -!"

"Don't even start with me!" Asuka shot back, flames spewing from her eyes as she scowled at the fanfic writer.

Orion was about to say something in response, but was interrupted when Mana remarked, "Wow...you're sure going to a lot of trouble over this..."

"Hey! If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing _right!"_ Orion declared. "And since I'm taking over your SOE story, then you better believe that the job _will _be done right!"

A beat passed as Mana considered what to say to this. "But...are you sure you want to do this? I mean, you already have so much you need to do. Stories, pictures..."

"And I'm gonna do 'em! And they _will _get done!" Orion shot back before returning his attention to the people surrounding him. "Hikari, get to work on the filming schedule! I want everything ready to go as soon as we have the new filming crew in place! I want...!"

Watching as Orion marched towards the pigtailed girl, Mana shook her head slowly. "Does he ever take a break?"

"Not really," Ritsuko remarked in all good humor. "He _is _something of a workaholic."

"I think he just needs to get laid," Mari remarked with a wicked smirk.

_"I heard that!"_ Orion shrilled unhappily. "Look, would somebody get me some aspirin! I swear I've got ten tons of script to bam out, and..."

"Correction; he _definitely _needs to get laid," Misato tittered even as she continued to haul the arc reactor around.


	2. One Last Happy Memory

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Marvel Comics or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Superwomen of Eva: Iron Resolve

Chapter 2: One Last Happy Memory...

It was late at night as Hiro Kirishima continued to labor, a seemingly perpetual state of being for him. But this time, he was not working in the all-too-comfortable confines of his spacious laboratory at the university, where he could forget about his private fears and inner demons.

Now, he was in that place where he was constantly facing and fighting those hidden torments. For Hiro was at home, and not just any part of his home, but a place of secrecy. A place hidden from the rest of the world, including his beloved daughter. A small, secret lab that he had managed to establish within the confines of his modest home, one of the many modifications he had made to it. And it was in this place, surrounded by technology that would make each and every last of his colleagues drool with envy, by mechanical arms and holographic displays and so much more, that he studied Sid's latest test results.

"Looks like Kyoko's revamped neurolytic synchronizer checks out," Hiro remarked as he studied the holographic display hovering in the air a short distance away. "Wouldn't you say, Sid?"

"Definitely, Dr. Kirishima," Sid replied with a nod of her holographic head, the turquoise avatar smiling pleasantly as she brought up a few more holographic windows. "I've already run every test I'm capable of, and the new neurolytic synchronizer checks out. It's fully functional and ready to go."

"Excellent," Hiro nodded in a curt, yet polite manner. "Have you run the new program for the synaptic interface? Any bugs that need to be worked out of the system?"

"Yes...and no, sir," Sid reported with a slight touch of artificial humor even as another holographic window appeared before the doctor. "The new program is working perfectly. The synaptic interface's efficiency has improved by 20.7%, even higher than I had expected." Then she gave a slight smile and added, "And...no bugs to be reported."

Nodding to this, Hiro then asked, "That just leaves the redesigned neuro-analyzer. How's the analysis coming?"

"Almost done. I had to do some filtering on the file, though," Sid reported with a slight grimace. "I think some adware managed to creep into Dr. Gakusha's PDA before she sent it to me."

Feeling a slight twinge at the back of his neck, the kind of feeling one had when it felt like someone was sneaking up on you, Hiro looked hard at the AI. "Just adware? You're sure about that?"

"That's right," Sid confirmed. "It wasn't anything my anti-virus software couldn't handle, but that stuff always makes me feel so...dirty."

Groaning in both relief and sympathy, Hiro nodded. "I don't doubt it. Adware; it's like the common cold of the computer world," he muttered in patent disgust for the idiots who felt the need to plaster that sort of thing all over cyberspace. "It might not be serious, but it sure slows you down, and it's damn near impossible to get rid of."

"I know. Believe me, _I know,"_ Sid groaned with a shake of her head. "Still, like I said, it wasn't anything serious."

"Good." As Hiro continued to study the results before him, he pressed his lips together in a display of determined satisfaction. "So how's the redesign looking so far?"

"Pretty good," Sid reported. "Some of the modifications Dr. Gakusha made are pretty interesting. It'll take a little while longer to fully test everything, but it looks like she was right about the improved data conversion rate."

Nodding to this, Hiro gave the turquoise hologram a look. "What about the I-System?" he asked in a more reserved manner. "Can we integrate the redesign into it?"

"That's a bit trickier," Sid admitted. "The new components Dr. Gakusha used are a somewhat bulkier than what you'd like. I'd have to make some alterations to adapt them to the I-System." A beat passed as the AI put on a show of visibly considering the matter. "However...with the proper adjustments, it _should _be effective."

"Good. We'll look into it while we're waiting for those tests to be completed," Hiro decided before looking at another holographic display. A display that held an image of the centerpiece of what he had been working on for so very long. The legacy he had been entrusted with and had worked so long and hard to improve. "I don't need to tell you how important perfecting the I-System's human/machine synchronization is. It has to be able to function as an extension of the human body. Like it was _physically _part of it."

"I know that, Doctor," Sid assured him. "My memory _is_ more efficient than a human's. I never forget anything unless you erase it from memory."

"I know, I know," Hiro returned, feeling a bit silly at this. "Just sounding out my thoughts, that's all." Then he again focused on the holographic display and sighed. "Still...this _is _a major step forward. And once your tests are complete - _if _the redesign can be applied - then we can finally advance to Stage 2."

Nodding to this, Sid seemed to consider this for a time before remarking, "By the way, Dr. Kirishima?" When Hiro again directed his gaze towards the holographic avatar, the AI continued with, "I did as you asked and checked the floater camera. It's fully tuned and charged and ready for the science fair."

"Ah, good," Hiro replied, having almost forgotten about the floater camera and its new assignment. "I appreciate that, Sid."

Again, Sid nodded, but this time more slowly. "And...I realize that I don't feel things the same way a human would, but...I _do _think that Mana would greatly appreciate it if you were to forego the floater...and go to the science fair yourself."

Hiro really wished that Sid had not mentioned that. He really did wish that the AI had not reminded him of his daughter, especially here in the place where he was already all-too aware of the many burdens that he was forced to shoulder up beneath. And he really didn't want to think about his daughter, and how he was failing to live up to his responsibilities as a father in order to deal with other responsibilities that he could not ignore.

Especially given what had happened earlier that day...

* * *

><p><em><span>(Flashback)<span>_

"Dr. Kirishima?" came Sid's voice.

"Yes, Sid?" Hiro replied, as content as could be as he labored in his clean university lab. Conducting further experiments on one of the less crucial projects he had been charged with, his work allowing him to forget about his monstrous burdens, at least for a little while.

"You have visitors," Sid began, something that took Hiro by surprise, for normally the AI simply announced the name of whoever was at his door. "Dr. Gakusha's at the door. And _Mana _is with her."

The instant his daughter's name was heard, Hiro's eyes went wide with shock as his mind tried and failed to process this bit of information. "Wha- _Mana?!"_ he blurted out, momentarily certain that Sid must have shorted a circuit. "Are you sure about that?!"

"Yes, Doctor," Sid replied in a form of simulated snark, as if wondering how he could ask something like that. As the rest of his mind was emptied by this statement, the AI went on to explain, "Mana says that she wants to talk to you."

Taking a few seconds to recover his jaw after it had unceremoniously plummeted to the floor, Dr. Kirishima then shook his head to clear it of the clouds of confusion that had taken up residence in there before sputtering out nonsensical noises in an attempt to get his mouth working again. "Uh...let them...in, then?"

An instant later, the door to the lab swung open, revealing the dark-haired scientist that was his colleague, as well as his auburn-haired daughter. "Hello, Dr. Kirishima," Kyoko began as she ushered Mana in. "Sorry to take you by surprise like this..."

"Uh, no! That's...no trouble..." Hiro fumbled out as he focused on his daughter. Trying in vain to make sense of the concept of her being there and failing utterly. "Uh..."

"Sorry to bother you, Dad," Mana apologized, the look on her face making it clear that she wasn't sorry at all. "But...well, you see...there's something I needed to talk to you about, and...after missing you at breakfast this morning, I...I decided to take the bus out here. See you here."

Even though he was still off-balanced by Mana's unexpected appearance here, Hiro didn't need to think hard to realize what it was that his daughter wanted to talk about. _She's still upset about the science fair. And everything else in her life that I've been missing out on,_ he thought, this simple realization causing guilt to twist his insides about. _Like I really need to deal with this...?_

Wondering just how many deities he must've ticked off to have to deal with the kind of life he led, Hiro gave his daughter an even look. "Mana...listen, I'm sure that...whatever this is _must _be important, but...you can't just show up like this when I'm at work!" he pleaded of her, trying to scold her without actually scolding her. "I have so much to do, and -!"

"So much to do that you can't even take a five-minute break for your own daughter?" Kyoko demanded, pausing to push her glasses up her nose as she gave him a look of amazed disdain. Then she frowned slightly and muttered, "Though now that I think of it...I can't remember you _ever _taking a break. Can you?" As Hiro issued a further groan of dismay, his colleague smiled knowingly at Mana, going on to say, "Anyway, I was heading back to my office when I happened to bump into your daughter, so..."

"I get the idea, Kyoko," Hiro groaned, suddenly wishing that he _could_ take a break, and get himself a tall, stiff drink.

Unfortunately, no amount of alcohol could chase away the simple fact that Mana was standing right in front of Hiro, her expression one that made it clear that she meant serious business. And no matter how much he would like to run off and get sloshed, he knew that he would need all of the sobriety he could muster to handle this latest curveball life had thrown him.

"Uh..." Hiro groaned, really not looking forward to this but seeing no way out. "Well...I have a pretty good guess as to what it is you want to talk about, so...Kyoko, would you be so kind as to...give Mana and I some privacy?"

"Certainly," Kyoko returned with a polite bow of her head, just before she turned to depart from Dr. Kirishima's lab.

Once his fellow scientist had left, the door closing behind her, Hiro issued another heavy sigh before again focusing on his daughter. "Alright, Mana," he began, striving to be polite and not sound worn out, all the while certain he was failing miserably. "I'm...guessing this about the science fair, right?"

"Uh...no," Mana returned in a somewhat hesitant manner. Raising an eyebrow at this, Hiro watched as his daughter lowered her eyes. "Well...that's _part _of it, but...that's not the whole thing."

A beat passed as Hiro made his way over to his chair, suspecting that he would need to sit down for this. "Okay...then what _is _the whole thing?"

"It's...it's _us,_ Dad," Mana explained, sounding rather anxious about what she was saying. "I...it's just...ever since Mom...I know things have been...tough for you and all of that, but...you're _never _around anymore! I hardly even see you at breakfast! And when you get home from work, most of the time you're so tired that...you almost always go to bed!"

_That's not entirely true, Mana,_ Hiro spoke inwardly, trying his best to keep the jabbing needles of guilt his daughter's words were sending him at bay. _Yes, I work hard here, but...I sleep so I can be rested to work. To _keep _working when...you're asleep, and...so you don't know what I'm..._

"And even when you're awake, when you have time to speak...you won't talk to me!" Mana went on, snapping Hiro from his thoughts. "You never talk about what you're doing here, your friends, your - your _anything!"_ Shifting her head slowly from one side to the other, the auburn-haired girl paused to swallow a lump of bile in her throat before looking up at her father and declaring, "You...you've shut me out of your _entire life!_ And - most of the time at home, if it weren't for Sid, I'd have _no one _to talk to!"

_I know, Mana,_ Hiro thought, more and more of those jabbing needles of guilt finding their mark. _And it hurts me more than you can possibly imagine..._

"I...I know you miss Mom! I really do!" Mana continued, her voice breaking beneath the strain of the feelings she was trying to articulate. "But...I miss _both _of you, Dad! And...I know Mom won't ever come back, but...but you're still here! And...and...!"

Mana's words failing her triggered the final spear of guilt that went flying straight and sure into Hiro's heart, causing him to rise up from his seat and approach her. Watching as tears of pain welled up in his daughter's eyes, the scientist that had worked so long to keep his own feelings in check in order to complete a mission that was secret from all bent down before her and placed his hands upon her shoulders. "Mana...you're right. I _am _still here," he began, knowing that he had to speak very carefully to her. Because he still wanted to avoid giving voice to the monstrous burdens that he was forced to carry, especially out in the open, where the walls had eyes, ears, and quite likely fists. "But...you and I both know that I won't always be."

"I _know _that!" Mana hurriedly cried out. "And _that's _why I want to be with you! Because...!"

Again, Mana's voice failed beneath the emotional weight of what she was trying to express. "I know," Hiro quickly reassured her, forcing the best smile he could onto his face. "But _that's _why I'm doing what I'm doing. Because...if anything _were _to happen, then...I want to be sure that...that you'll be okay. That you'll have...something to depend on." When his daughter looked up and frowned, prompting him to explain, "I mean...I don't have any other relatives, and...neither did you mother. No other family to count on. And...we both know how things have been since Second Impact..."

Mana lowered her eyes at this, showing that she was privately acknowledging her father's point. In the wake of the disaster that was Second Impact, the deaths of half of the human race and the decimation of so many other species, habitats, and more, the world's governments had been sent scrambling, trying to tend to so many crises. So many children who had lost their families, so many families that had lost their homes. Trying to cope with a disaster beyond anything save for the event that had heralded the end of the dinosaurs. Sometimes, they succeeded. But more often, they did not.

"I don't want to leave you in that position, Mana," Hiro assured her, a half-truth that was close enough to the entire thing for his purpose. "I want to be sure that, no matter what happens, you can live in a world where you can be happy. With...or without me."

Her eyes falling even further, Mana issued a tiny little sniffle. "I...I can understand that, Dad," she eventually admitted. "But...you never talk to me about _anything! _It's like...you're alone in your own little world, and..."

_That's because, in a way, I _am,_ Mana,_ Hiro couldn't help but think. _And it's a world that I want to make sure that you _never _become a part of..._

But Hiro knew he couldn't say that. This time, he couldn't say anything even remotely close to the truth. Nor he could ignore the fact that, from Mana's perspective, her concerns were perfectly and completely legitimate. Leaving him with only one thing to say. "I'm sorry. I...I know that Narumi...that your mother would have wanted me to...to do a better job...taking care of you than I have. And...I know that I've...I haven't handled...everything...as well as I could have." Placing his right forefinger beneath Mana's chin, he gently nudged her head so that they were looking each other in the eyes. "Look...all I can do is try to do better, and -"

"No," Mana quickly broke in, her voice suddenly hard and determined. Starting at this sudden shift, at the fading of sorrow and the emergence of something that could have almost been anger. "Please, don't say that you'll _try,_ Dad. Because...we both know that when you say that, you _never_ actually do...whatever it is you said you'll do."

"Uh, Mana -?" Hiro tried again.

"I want you to be at the science fair. _You,_ not that stupid camera!" Mana pleaded of him. "But if you're going say that you'll try and then never show up, then...please, be _honest _with me!"

"Look, I really will try to -!" Hiro tried once more.

"You'll _promise,_ Dad!" Mana broke in, causing him to recoil a bit in surprise. "If you're _really _gonna be there, then _promise me!"_ His mouth popping open somewhat in surprise, Hiro just stared at his daughter for a time as she shook her head miserably. "Otherwise...don't bother saying anything at all..."

* * *

><p><em><span>(End Flashback)<span>_

As Hiro stood in his tiny, hidden lab, surveying the artifacts of technology that he had labored so diligently over for so many years, he considered the words of one such artifact, as well as those of his own flesh and blood. And as he did so, he couldn't help but sigh in weary guilt. "Yes..." he finally began, his eyes falling somewhat as he thought of his little girl. All the birthdays and holidays and special moments that he had wanted to share with her. "We..._both _would..."

* * *

><p>"Alright, men," Iwao Chiron began as he paced about the front of Section 2's situation room. Looking hard at the dozen agents he had hand-selected for this mission. "Commander Ikari has assigned us a Priority Black mission."<p>

The agents gathered all exchanged looks of concern, with Chiron's second-in-command, Sato, frowning ever so slightly. Not that the Section 2 Captain could blame him for that; Priority Black was the highest order priority for Section 2, meaning that the mission was not only too important to be allowed to fail, but absolute secrecy was of paramount importance. If any of them was captured or discovered, not only would NERV disavow any knowledge of their existence, but they would be terminated with extreme prejudice.

Satisfied that everyone present had gotten the message, Chiron held up a remote control and pressed a button. An instant later, a holographic window appeared off to his side, featuring the picture of a man. "This is Dr. Hiro Kirishima, formerly employed here at NERV, now a university professor. He's a specialist in advanced computer systems." Giving his personnel a chance to scrutinize every single detail of Dr. Kirishima's features, the Section 2 Captain went on to explain, "According to our information, Kirishima has possession of sensitive technology. And Commander Ikari has made it _very _clear that, whatever it is Kirishima has, he wants."

"Whatever it is?" one of Chiron's men asked, seemingly perplexed. "I don't understand, sir. What are we dealing with? Software, hardware, what?"

"Software, though there could be hardware as well," Chiron answered. "Our information is incomplete at this time. All we can be certain of is that Kirishima has heavily encrypted data pertaining to the specific technology in his possession. Which brings me to our mission." As his team looked on in anticipation, the Section 2 head went on to explain, "Dr. Kirishima has developed a highly advanced artificial intelligence system which he calls the Synthetic Intelligence Data-Node Extrapolation Entity, or SIDNEE for short." Trying to ignore the few chuckles this admittedly ridiculous name garnered from his troops, Chiron continued with the briefing. "In terms of its capabilities, SIDNEE is similar to the MAGI, so it could have hidden the files in any system under its direct control. Meaning that these files are most likely stored within its core systems, and if not, then the next most likely location would the International University of Japan, whose computers are under SIDNEE's direct supervision."

As the assembled men nodded their understanding, Chiron paused before continuing. "Our objective is two-fold; to obtain the technology in question before anyone else learns of its existence, and to terminate Kirishima. All without anyone else becoming aware of NERV's involvement." Continuing to pace about before his men, all the while studying their reactions, the Section 2 Captain went on. "As soon as we reach the target area, we'll split into three teams; two to observe the university and his home, and the third to keep track of his movements. Make certain that we know where he is at all times." Scanning the expressions of his team, making certain that they were keeping up with everything said, Chiron furrowed his brows in a dangerous manner. "Stealth will be of paramount importance. If Kirishima learns of our presence, he could try to escape, and worse, possibly destroy whatever technology he has before we can secure it. So we'll keep our distance as much as possible, and move in on him at night, preferably while he's asleep; a bullet in the head, and one in the heart." Holding up his remote, he pressed a button, causing another holographic window with a different face to appear next to Hiro's. "Kirishima has a daughter, Mana. She gets the same treatment." The agents all nodded, not that Chiron expected any protest from them. It wasn't as if this would have the first time any of them would have disposed of a child Gendo wanted dead. "Now we can't assume this will be easy in, easy out. Kirishima used to work here, and we've already determined that he has access to highly advanced and potentially dangerous technology. So it's safe to imagine that he's already taken precautions in the event someone comes after him. All the more reason to make sure that he _doesn't_ see us coming." Satisfied that he had outlined the situation, Chiron studied his team. "Any questions?"

"Sir, are you sure about killing Kirishima and his daughter?" Sato wondered in a respectful tone. As Chiron frowned at being questioned by his own second-in-command, especially in regards to orders handed down to him by Commander Ikari, the loyal agent went on to explain, "Whatever software and hardware he has might be coded so that only he can access it. And if he's expecting trouble like you said, he might have rigged everything with a failsafe that will wipe his data or blow up his equipment if anyone but him tries to access it." As the Section 2 head continued to look at him, Sato shrugged slightly before adding, "I'm just saying that...I don't think Commander Ikari would appreciate it if we killed the golden goose -"

"- before he can get his hands on its last egg? No, he wouldn't," Chiron confirmed, nodding at this valid point. "The problem with that is, as you said, Kirishima has undoubtedly taken precautions and has most likely already taken into account the possibility of his capture. And with all the efforts he's made to keep this tech secret, it's safe to assume that he won't give it up easily." Giving this time to sink in, he followed up with, "The bottom line? The longer this guy's alive, the more time he has to make our jobs more difficult."

"We could always point a gun at his kid's head," another agent pointed out. "That's worked plenty of times."

"On idiots so desperate to save their kid that they don't bother realizing that we'd kill them, no matter what they did," Chiron admitted in a more condescending manner. "But all our information indicates that Kirishima isn't nearly that stupid. He wouldn't have kept this secret as long as he has if he _were._ And keep in mind, people, that as a former employee of NERV, that he's been on _our _radar ever since he left. We've been watching him for _years,_ and we're only just finding out about this. So that should tell you everything about him." Making sure that he had gotten his point across, the Section 2 Captain went on to say, "Besides, the Commander already has a plan for making sure that he gets his golden egg without it getting scrambled...as long as we can get it from the goose and bring it back here in one piece. If anything happens after that...it isn't our problem." The expressions of his people showing that they were as fine with that as Chiron was, he then asked, "Anything else?"

"What about the university?" yet another agent asked. "We're supposed to stay below the radar, but if we have to conduct an extensive search through the university, _someone_ is going to see us."

"We already have someone on the inside to help us on that front. Getting in and out won't be a problem," Chiron declared without any hesitation. "Any other questions?"

To his people's credit, there were none. At which, Chiron declared, "Alright, people. The clock's ticking. The sooner we get in and take care of business, the better our chances of getting the Commander's golden egg. And we all know what happens when someone disappoints the Commander."

They did indeed know the heavy price to be paid for failing Commander Ikari. And so, without further ado, the Section 2 agents exited the situation room, following Chiron to NERV's personal airfield.

* * *

><p>"How's the power coming, Haruka?" Mana asked as she nimbly assembled the track for their miniature maglev train.<p>

"Almost done," Haruka easily reported. "I just need to make a couple more connections, and we're good."

Nodding her satisfaction to that, Mana inquired, "Reiko, how's the readout look for sections A through E? Are the lights all on?"

"Uh...not all of them," Reiko reported, much to Mana's surprise. "Section 'B-7' is still out."

Frowning at this, Mana immediately rose up and looked over the entirety of the model. It was Saturday morning, the day of the science fair, and she and her friends were now laboring away in setting up the model maglev train that was their project, all the while the various other teams around them did the same. The gymnasium of Mana's school was presently in a state of barely controlled chaos as all the other three-person teams worked to set up their own science projects for the fair. It was a veritable hodgepodge of everything from total amateur hour to some actually interesting experiments that Mana made a mental note to look at later on.

At the moment, her entire focus was on the maglev train miniature that was the summation of Mana's and her friends efforts. Built from a large model train set that Reiko had scoured up from a flea market, they had since modified the tracks and train itself for maglev, with Haruka working to help make everything look as flashy and eye-catching as possible. But at the moment, the youthful tech wizard only had eyes for one thing; the section of track that she had labeled as B-7. Frowning to herself, she carefully examined the section of track, her eyes narrowed to pick up every detail. After a few seconds of studying it, she noted one of the wires didn't look quite right. Groaning mildly, Mana glanced over at her toolkit and retrieved a small screwdriver before going to working. Carefully adjusting the wire and tightening the connection, she paused in work to look up. "How about now?"

"It's good," Reiko reported with a nod. Then she glanced over at Haruka and wondered, "So how much longer do we have to put this thing together?"

Glancing over at a nearby clock, Haruka reported, "The fair starts in about an hour. That should be enough time, right, Mana?"

"More than enough," Mana promptly assured her friend with a slight smile as she stood up straight and surveyed her handiwork. Then she gave her friends a look and wondered, "Aren't you gonna ask me what our odds of winning are while you're at it?"

"Like that's even in question," Reiko remarked with a roll of her eyes. "You're our genius in residence, Mana! If it has to do with science, then you've got it covered."

Smiling at this, Mana then sighed to herself. Wishing that her friends words could help her dismiss other issues at hand. Something that was being brought to the fore even as she looked at the other students working to assemble their projects.

All around her, Mana's fellow students were getting help in setting up their projects. For while the teams were forbidden from getting outside assistance in assembling the projects themselves, they were still receiving help in bringing the materials for those projects into the gym, as well as encouragement as they set them up. All things they got...from their families.

Not all of them had their families present, maybe not even most of them. But there were still enough mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters and whatever helping some of her fellow students that Mana couldn't help but feel her insides twist themselves in knots. For these things prompted her to again remember her life the way it had been before...and think of a conversation she had had with her father, just days ago.

_He'll come..._ Mana told herself, her eyes lowering somewhat as she flashed back to those words. _He promised he'd come. He _promised _me he would..._

But even as she thought this, Mana frowned, for another, more cynical voice was saying, _And how many other times had he 'promised' to be there for you...and never was...?_

* * *

><p><em>I can't keep doing this to her...<em> Hiro thought to himself as he labored away at the university. The usual comforting air of this place of science failing to erase that moment when he had been confronted by his daughter's sorrow and pleading. _And...I did promise her..._

As Hiro examined the equipment before him, studied the programming codes that he had been laboring over so intently, he couldn't help but frown as he thought of his only daughter. And as he did so, he was forced to once again admit that he had been a very poor father for Mana. And there was no doubt in his mind that Narumi would never have approved the way he kept dismissing her needs and missing out on her growing up the way he did.

_How many times have I done this?_ Hiro asked himself for what felt like the hundredth time. Wondering how many times he had missed being with Mana on her birthday or on Christmas or on some other occasion when she wanted or needed him, and suspecting that the number far exceeded his ability to estimate. _And how much have I hurt her because of it?_ Heaving a deep sigh as he continued to study the data before him, he couldn't help but frown. _Development of the I-System and everything else has been going so smoothly...would it _really _hurt _that _much to...just take some time off? Spend a few hours with my daughter?_

In the mind of a father, Hiro was quick to decide that no, no it wouldn't. That his daughter needed and deserved to be loved, and that Narumi would want for him to be with her.

But Hiro Kirishima wasn't just a father. He was also a scientist. More importantly, he was a scientist who had sworn an oath to someone he would have entrusted his life to. Who knew there were things in this world that could destroy the futures of everyone on the planet, including his own daughter.

He knew these things because he had seen and experienced them firsthand.

_I _know _that NERV and Commander Ikari are up to something. That there's more to the Evangelions than they're telling us,_ Hiro frowned, recalling all too well some of the seedy secrets he had covertly sniffed out during his time at NERV, secrets that had only been the tip of the proverbial iceberg. _If history's taught me anything, it's that weapons _demand_ to be used. That no matter how horrible or destructive a weapon is, there will _always _be someone who'll want to use it for their own power._

And as he thought this, Hiro recalled two monstrous titans that had been at the core of NERV Central. The deadly, demonic faces of Evangelion Units 00 and 01. _And those were just the prototype and test types! They must have started deploying the Production Models by now, and they're bound to be _far _worse!_ Then he scowled and added, _And unlike nukes...there's no nasty fallout for anybody to worry about if they decide to use them..._

Which made it all the more imperative that Hiro completed the I-System and his other projects as quickly as possible. And while he was very close to finalizing the designs needed for those projects, having a blueprint in a computer was not the same thing as having the completed product. _I'll need to start gathering resources, developing more reactors, producing more equipment...never mind setting up a place where I can do all that!_ Hiro reminded himself. _And even once construction has begun, I'll have to run all kinds of tests to make sure that everything works the way it's supposed to!_

All of which would take time. So much time. And as much as Hiro wanted to think that a few hours couldn't possibly make any difference...he had learned the hard way that it took far less than a few hours for an entire world to be changed forever, for billions of lives to wiped out. And that it took less than a minute for a family to be effectively destroyed.

Sighing miserably at this thought, Hiro shook his head and thought, _How many times have I done this to myself? To Mana? How many times have I promised to do something for her, but the closer I get to the day I actually have to do it, the more I think about work, and then I blow her off again?_ His shoulders sagging beneath the burdens he carried, as a scientist and as a father, he asked himself, _I am...just making excuses? Is it that much easier for me to -?_

"Excuse me? Dr. Kirishima?" came a voice, snapping Hiro from his inner torment. Momentarily taken off-balance, he quickly recovered before looking about just in time to see Sid's holographic avatar resolve into existence behind him. "I hate to bother you, but it looks like we have a problem."

"What is it, Sid?" Hiro wondered, grateful for whatever little glitch she had discovered for him to distract himself with.

"There's a problem in my core hardware, back at home," Sid reported, her avatar's expression creased with concern. "It looks like a cascade failure caused by the adaptive capacitor."

The instant this was said, the gratitude Hiro felt was immediately erased, being replaced with a foreboding dread. "The...adaptive capacitor?" he repeated, his tone grim. "Are you _sure _about that?"

"Not yet," Sid reported. "But I _do _need you to come back home and check it out. Because if I'm right, things are going to get bad, and fast."

Swallowing a lump of bile that had formed in his throat, Hiro nodded. "Alright. Contact Hoshiyo, let her know about the problem. And explain that I...probably won't be back today."

"Understood," Sid replied, her avatar dissipating even as Hiro exited the lab. His heart already pounding in fear as he did his best to act normal, to maintain a steady, if above-average pace.

It was a struggle to this, to act composed. Because the truth of the matter was...Sid's systems didn't have an adaptive capacitor.

When Hiro had left NERV to set about his plans, he had known right from the beginning, not only how difficult it would be to extricate himself from that cesspool of secrecy, but also that he would remain on their radar. That he would _always _have someone watching him, if only to make certain that he did not spill any of NERV's secrets to the outside world. And more importantly, he had known that electronic communications were not safe for him to use. Phones, emails, text messages, and so on were completely off-limits when it came to sensitive transmissions, even with Sid's impressive firewalls and security systems.

And so, in the event that something ever went wrong, Hiro had come up with a series of bogus forms of components that would serve as code words that Sid could use to alert him of the situation. And the phrase 'adaptive capacitor' was one of the most serious phrases, indicating the possibility of a security breach, as well as that NERV agents might be close by.

_And while Sid made it clear that she might be wrong...if she's right...!_ Hiro thought as he made his way out of the university and headed towards his car. Unable to finish the dread thought, unable to articulate the doom that it would mean for him and his daughter.

For a long time, Hiro had known that he had been working to beat a deadline. And now, he was faced with the very real possibility that he had failed.

* * *

><p>"Watcher 3 to Watcher 1, over," came an electronically distorted voice within the SUV Captain Chiron was presently seated in.<p>

Without preamble, Chiron reached for the secure radio that hung from the dash. "Watcher 1 here. Go ahead."

"Sir, the target has left the premises," went the person leading the Watcher 3 unit. "He's in his car and is presently in transit. Watcher 2 is already in pursuit."

The instant this was said, Chiron frowned unhappily. The instant he and his team arrived in the Niigata Prefecture, he had made met with their contact before they divided up into three teams as he had ordered, with each team being assigned a covert SUV. Watcher 3 was presently watching the university, Watcher 2 was in charge of trailing Kirishima wherever he went while he and the rest of  
>Watcher 1 was watching the Kirishima residence.<p>

Chiron had been on missions like this before, missions where a target had to be neutralized as covertly as possible, making such a mission much like a hunt. And the first rule of a hunt was to study your prey, to learn its movements and personality so you could use them against it. And according to all of Chiron's information, Kirishima was a classic workaholic; if he wasn't eating or sleeping, then more than likely he was busying himself away at the university. And while it was likely for him to work late, him _leaving _work early, even on a weekend, was apparently unheard of.

_Which means something's happened,_ Chiron knew, and if that was the case, then there was a deadly chance that something had gone wrong. _Dammit...did that AI of his pick us up?_

It was an unfortunate possibility, Chiron knew, for while he and the SUV were presently a block distant from the Kirishima residence, he had three agents in that area, working in rotation to keep the house under complete surveillance, both to map out the structure and whatever security devices he might have, as well as keep an eye out for anyone going in or out of the place. And since their arrival, they had sighted several cameras and other forms of sensory equipment surreptitiously integrated with the house's structure. Almost impossible to detect, except to the trained eye.

_And there may be other security devices that we haven't detected yet,_ Chiron frowned inwardly. _So there's a chance that his AI may have picked up on us. And even if it ain't human...neither are the MAGI, and they run this whole damned country!_ With this in mind, and unable to ignore the fact that Kirishima was deviating from his normal patterns at the same time Section 2 was in proximity to his home, Chiron shifted his eyes towards the back of the SUV, where concealed from the outside world by tinted windows, Ieyoshi Takara, Section 2's resident computer expert, labored at a sophisticated array of computing and espionage equipment.

"Ieyoshi, Kirishima's on the move," Chiron informed the nondescript computer geek. "Tell me you have something."

"Not much," Ieyoshi replied with a frown in his voice. "We've broken into his phone and internet connections, but the only thing we have is a series of burst communications running from his home to the university. It happened a few minutes ago."

"The AI," Chiron presumed. "Any idea what it was saying?"

"'Fraid not. This thing's got firewalls that would give the MAGI a run for their money," Ieyoshi grimly replied.

Not liking that one bit, Chiron pressed a control on his radiophone. "Watcher 1 to Watcher 3, over."

"Watcher 3 here," returned the head agent there.

"We've intercepted a recent communication from the target's residence. We're assuming it's the AI," Chiron irritably reported. "Any idea what that thing was saying?"

A beat passed before the agent in question replied, "We heard it mention that it was having a problem. Something called an adaptive capacitor causing a cascade failure."

"Understood. Watcher 1, over and out," Chiron frowned before returning the radio to its place on the dash. A beat passed before he asked, "Ieyoshi, have you ever heard of an adaptive capacitor before?"

"I...can't say that I have, sir," Ieyoshi admitted. "Not that that says much; my specialty is software, not hardware."

Nodding to this, Chiron couldn't help but still have a bad feeling about this. Because if he were in Kirishima's place, engaging in illicit activities that could draw an enemy down upon his head, and if he had an ally of any kind, he would realize that there was a danger of someone listening in on their communications. And thus, would anticipate the problem by arranging for code words to alert him to a potential problem.

Still bothered by the seeming coincidence of Kirishima's deviation from established patterns, Chiron then asked, "Do you still have a GPS fix on Kirishima's cell phone?"

"Yes, sir," Ieyoshi promptly answered. "He's on the freeway, heading in this direction. The same movement patterns we've been advised of. No signs that he's speeding."

_Which could still mean nothing. Kirishima could just be putting on a show. Acting like everything's normal to throw us off track,_ Chiron knew, pausing to consider his options. If Watcher 2 was still in pursuit, they could still conceivably take him out if necessary, but that would be in violation of Commander Ikari's orders to keep this operation as far below the radar as possible. _He hasn't done anything that _proves_ he's running yet, and...there's still that kid of his..._

"What about Kirishima's daughter?" Chiron wondered, thinking of the data Ieyoshi had gotten from the computer's at the girl's school. "She's supposed to be at that science fair, right?"

"That's right, sir," Ieyoshi confirmed. "GPS fix on her cell phone indicates that she's still there."

_So if Kirishima _is _going to rabbit, chances are he's not going to leave his daughter behind,_ Chiron concluded, having studied the doctor's files. _Not when he knows that we'd be interrogating her instead of him._

Marveling at how easily that disease known as a conscience could make normally intelligent people do something so suicidal, Chiron heaved a deep breath and made his decision. "We'll sit back for now. Wait and see what he does when he gets back home. But if it looks like he's going to run...we take him out."

* * *

><p>When Hiro Kirishima entered the place that was his home and was safely out of sight of any possible watching eyes, it was all he could do not to collapse.<p>

Since the day he had left NERV to implement his plans, Hiro knew he had been playing a dangerous game. Even before his credential had attracted NERV enough to offer him a position, he had known that there was more to them than met the eye, and by the time he had left them eleven years ago, he had seen enough, learned enough, to realize that their secrets went even further than anyone could have imagined, and were omens for a dark, dangerous future. That these were dangerous people, with Commander Ikari the worst of them all. _Naoko warned me what would happen if they caught me,_ he couldn't help but remind himself, remembering the last time he had seen Dr. Akagi before her death. _And I said they could try..._

Even then, Hiro had known there was always a chance that they would succeed. And in the years since he had left NERV, his imagination had painted out hundreds of different ways such a scenario could unfold, with everything from Section 2 agents overrunning his home and destroying everything to a sniper lurking in the shadows with Hiro's head in the crosshairs. Just one of the reasons he had gone to such lengths to create countermeasures for such situations, to give him ample warning that the hounds were on his scent. And in those scenarios when those measures were successful and he was given the warning needed to escape, he had always pictured himself as being shaken, fearful, but still more-or-less composed and resolved to carry out the mission he had taken up and protect the legacy he had sworn to defend.

With the passage of the years and after many such waking nightmares, Hiro had imagined himself inured to that reality and would react in real life the way he would in them. And now, he felt like all he wanted to was fall apart on his floor, his heart was pounding away like it was getting ready to jump right out of his chest, and he felt like he was either on the verge of planting the last of his courage in his pants or had already done so.

_But...no! Dammit, I don't have any time to waste!_ something in Hiro's mind snapped at him, forcing his body to work without the need of his conscious mind. Reaching into his lab coat, he numbly retrieved his PDA from his pocket. Looking down at it, he began inputting a sequence into the PDA, which soon displayed the words, 'Hiro/Sid Conversation; Adaptive capacitor.'

"Hello, Sid," came Hiro's voice from one of a series of speakers he had installed in his home to fool anyone who might be listening in. "So, let's have a look at you..."

Not bothering to listen to the pre-recorded conversation he had set up to keep any unwanted eavesdropper's in the dark as to what he was doing, Hiro made his way over to the kitchen. Reaching up under one of the cupboards, he pressed a nearly invisible switch that was too high up for Mana to touch by accident, causing several nearby tiles to rise up from the wall and then slide down, revealing a lit green panel. Putting his hand on the panel, Hiro waited as the palm scanner did its work, triggering the activation of several other hidden scanning devices he had integrated into the ceiling and walls. Several seconds passed as the various security mechanisms did their work, making absolutely certain that Hiro was who he was. It was a security system that was completely capable of functioning alone in the event Sid was disabled, one of the many precautions Hiro had made.

_But even that might not have been enough..._ Hiro couldn't help but think bitterly as the scanning process was completed, causing a section of wood paneling to slide open, revealing a doorway and a staircase. Carefully making his way down the stairs even as the lights of his hidden lab switched on, the scientist was soon surrounded by machines and technology and holographic displays, surrounded by the many burdens he had been bearing up under since after Second Impact.

As the door closed behind him, sealing him in the soundproof lab, a flash of turquoise caught Hiro's attention. "I'm glad you're back, Dr. Kirishima," Sid reported even before her avatar had fully manifested. "We've got _serious _trouble!"

What little hope he had been able to hold onto falling away, Hiro groaned heavily before asking, "How bad is it?! What _exactly_ has happened?!"

"My sensors have detected three people in close proximity to the house. Complete strangers, sir," Sid hurriedly reported.

"You're sure about that?" Hiro hurriedly demanded.

"Positive. I've compared their thermographic readings, body structures, and voice patterns to all known residents of the area. No match," Sid reported with a slight frown. "Furthermore, they have remained in close proximity to this building for the past three hours. Their movements have varied, and they've been changing positions, but no matter where they've gone, they have maintained line-of-sight positions with this house ever since their arrival."

Which was standard Section 2 procedure for observation, Hiro knew. Clenching his free hand as icy cold fingers of fear wrapped about his heart, he asked, "Do you have anything else?"

"Yes. When I noted the strangers' presence, I decided to run a complete diagnostic scan of my systems. See if I'd had a security breach of some kind." Shaking her head unhappily, Sid went on to say, "Remember how I told you about how some adware infiltrated my systems when I downloaded Dr. Gakusha's file?"

Nodding quickly, Hiro replied, "Yes, but...you said that it was nothing. That there was no problem."

"Yes, and at the time, I thought it was all taken care of." Then Sid's expression darkened before she went on to explain, "However, it turned out that it was part of a _big _problem." At this, a holographic window resolved into existence next to the AI's avatar. "Here's a list of adware that I've been getting from the university's computers. I'm always having to filter out that kind of crud, especially since it's designed _not _to attract any attention. And for the most part, it's basically harmless. Just linking you to other websites selling...whatever."

Recognizing the fact that his creation was building up to something and rapidly losing patience, Hiro pressed her. "But this time, it _wasn't _harmless."

"Far from it. It turns out that these five adware programs are actually parts of a larger, more powerful program," Sid explained, gesturing at the holographic window, with the names of the five programs in question highlighted for convenience. "Individually, these programs are essentially harmless. But when they get together on the same computer, their interaction _creates_ a very special virus. One expressly designed to scan the memory of a host computer, and identify certain kinds of programming, all without being detected."

"And I'm guessing that the kinds of programming it was interested in was the kind for advanced technologies or weapons," Hiro intuited with a heavy groan.

"Correct, Doctor. And after checking the logs for my I/O system, I realized that a message had been piggybacked on one of my communications to the university's computer," Sid reported. "So there has to be someone or something there that's been monitoring us. Possibly more than one."

Issuing another heavy groan, Hiro shook his head in dismay. "And assuming our unwanted guests outside are NERV - which is a pretty safe assumption at this point - then I think it's _also _safe to assume that this virus managed to identify the kind of projects we've been working on."

Which meant that, no matter what happened, Hiro's life and that of his daughter as they knew them were over. This house, this neighborhood, this career and everything associated with them were done and dead. Either they left as quickly as possible, or they waited for NERV to come for them. Meaning that they only had one choice if they wanted to survive.

"Sid," Hiro began, heaving a deep breath before giving the command he had hoped that he would never, _ever _have to give, "initiate Exodus Protocol. Immediately."

"Affirmative, Dr. Kirishima," Sid replied as other holographic displays lit up, showing various machines and robots Hiro had discretely integrated into his home coming to life and going to work. Already gathering up things of importance such as clothes, food, medicine, and some of his and Mana's family treasures. "Commencing loading of transport drones. Inputting preprogrammed destination."

Nodding to this, and glad that he had made a point of storing all their truly precious things in a rental storage facility, Hiro gave the next order. "Activate the nanotech baths and prepare the I-System frames we have for reconstruction."

"Understood," Sid replied as the holographic window next to her shifted, revealing several different sets of schematics. "Which armor design to you wish to implement?"

"We'll go with the basic design. The Mark 1 armor," Hiro declared without hesitation. "We've already done extensive testing on the technology, we know it all works, and there won't be any bugs to work out. And most importantly, it's the easiest and fastest to build. And right now, we need speed more than anything."

Frowning somewhat, Sid protested, "Dr. Kirishima, the Mark 1 armor design has no offensive capabilities aside from the hand- and foot-mounted repulsor thrusters. And the strength augmentation factor is -"

"Is enough to handle _human _opponents, Sid," Hiro broke in, not willing to waste time on Sid's cautionary warnings in this case. "We're not looking to pick a fight here. We're looking to _get away_ from one. And this is the fastest way." Heaving a deep sigh, he then went on to say, "Besides, the other designs would take much longer to implement. And with NERV hanging right outside our door, I'm afraid that time isn't something we have much of. So implement the Mark 1 designs."

Her unhappy expression deepening, Sid soon nodded. "Understood, Dr. Kirishima. Implementing Mark 1 armor construction now."

At these words, two slightly raised circular partitions in the floor on the far side of the lab irised open, and the pungent scent of oil wafted up to Hiro's nostrils. At the same time, two storage units in the wall opened up, revealing two metal frames that were clearly designed to fit around a human body, each secured in a small gantry. As the doctor looked on, the two gantries extended out from the wall, placing each frame over one of the nanite-enriched pools of oil.

As Hiro looked on, the gantries slowly lowered into the pools of oil, and his imagination pictured what was about to happen. Pictured thousands upon thousands of tiny little robots, roughly the size of a germ, pouring over each of the frames and working in conjunction with an array of mechanical arms fitted with a wide variety of tools to reprocess whatever raw materials Sid introduced into the baths. All to rebuild them and the frames into proper suits of powered armor.

Once the frames had completely disappeared from sight, Hiro returned his attention to Sid. "Estimated time until Phase 1 of the Exodus Protocol is completed?"

"Gathering and loading of essential foods, medicine, and other items will take approximately two hours," Sid easily reported. Even as Hiro smiled at this, the AI went on to say, "However, it will take roughly four hours, fifteen minutes to complete Mana's armor, and five hours, two minutes to complete yours."

This immediately erased the slight smile on Hiro's face. "That long?"

"I'm afraid so, sir," Sid unhappily confirmed. "Even using the frames as a starting point, I will still need to test each and every connection and mechanism as they are constructed in order to ensure they are all functioning properly." A beat passed before she added, "Also, I'm sure I don't need to remind you of this, but we're currently using one of the arc reactors to power this lab. Once the construction process is complete, you'll have to disconnect the reactor from my systems and then transfer it to one of the armors. All I'll have is auxiliary power, and -"

"I know that, Sid," Hiro replied even as he considered the other matter at hand. Namely, the time that would be consumed in the construction of the two armors. And in doing so, he found himself thinking of the many precautions he had taken over the years. All the work he had done to ensure that, if worst came to the worst, he and Mana would always have plenty of warning to affect an escape and the perfect means of doing so. And now, he was condemning himself for his own shortsightedness, and demanding why he had never bothered building the armors that would be their greatest hope of escaping NERV's clutches in the event they ever came after them.

But even as he did so, Hiro winced, for the truth of the matter was that he already knew the answer to that question. And that truth was that, in the early days, he had constructed some prototypes for an escape, worked on some various armor designs that could feasibly be used in an emergency, but had ultimately run into several problems with that practice. The first such problem was the fact that Mana was a growing girl, and every time he had built an armor for her, she had quickly outgrown it, rendering it useless. The second problem was the constant advances of technology he had made over the years; with every improvement he made to the I-System, he wound up having to spend time on making that same improvement on the lone armor he had kept for himself. He had spent so much time building it, rebuilding it, modifying it, disassembling it because of some project. And so ultimately, working with the armor had wound up taking up so much of his time that it was wrecking his productivity.

_Besides, the arc reactors we have might be self-sustaining, but their power isn't infinite,_ Hiro reminded himself. _And without the resources to build more, I couldn't afford to put too much strain on either of them!_

And thus, deciding that developing an escape armor was costing him precious commodities that he couldn't afford to waste, and after he had come up with the nanotech bath that he now used for the construction of his various tools and inventions, Hiro had decided that the best thing to do would be to create two armor frames that he could easily reconstruct for whatever purpose necessary. A decision made that much simpler when he realized that his best protection was the anonymity he had been so careful to maintain all this time. And with the passage of so many years without incident, he had become increasingly comfortable with this decision, and with burying himself in his work.

For a long time, Hiro simply stood there, observing the two nanotech baths as they processed the frames and raw materials into the best hope for his and Mana to escape with their lives. Considering alternatives and options that were slim at best. _If worst comes to the worst, we can still use some of the transport drones to escape. They aren't as stealthy, and there are plenty of places where an armored human can go that they can't...but they'd still be better than nothing,_ he reminded himself. _Besides, if this _is _Section 2, and they were just going to barge in, then they'd have done so already. Which means that they're waiting for something. Most likely for the best chance to slip in without being noticed._

After a moment's thought, Hiro decided that was the most logical possibility. NERV was a top secret organization and had remained hidden from the public eye for well over a decade. And whatever plans Gendo and NERV whoever else was involved had in store for the world at large, the last thing they wanted was to do something stupid by killing a college teacher and his kid in plain view of the world.

_Which means that, if we're lucky, they'll wait until night. Until they think we're asleep before trying to get in here,_ Hiro decided, already planning out his next move. _So...as long as they don't think we're on to them...we should have at least until nightfall before they make their move._

Which gave Hiro time to make his move. And as he looked about at the interior of his lab, thought about the lovely home and good friends and neighbors that he would likely never see again, about the life that he and Mana were about to leave behind...he knew what that move would be. And so, with that in mind, he started up the stairs.

"Where are you going, Dr. Kirishima?" Sid wondered as he ascended the stairs.

"I'm guessing that whoever's in charge of this operation isn't going to make a move unless the timing is right or he thinks something's wrong. So we have to buy some time...by acting completely natural. Like this is just another day of the week," Hiro announced, pausing halfway up the stairs. "And I know exactly how to do that."

As Hiro continued up the stairs, he added, _And while I'm at it...I'm going to give Mana one last happy memory of this life before it comes to an end. One last bit of joy...to help keep her going after today..._

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: We're closing in on the end of Mana's origin story here. I hope everyone enjoys. In the meantime, please, read and review! And maybe check out my other stories while you're at it?<p>

Omake 1

Nodding to this, Hiro then asked, "That just leaves the redesigned neuro-analyzer. How's the analysis coming?"

"Almost done. I had to do some filtering on the file, though," Sid reported with a slight grimace. "I think some adware managed to creep into Dr. Gakusha's PDA before she sent it to me."

Feeling a slight twinge at the back of his neck, the kind of feeling one had when it felt like someone was sneaking up on you, Hiro looked hard at the AI. "Just adware? You're sure about that?"

"That's right," Sid confirmed. "It wasn't anything my anti-virus software couldn't handle, but that stuff always makes me feel so...dirty."

Groaning in both relief and sympathy, Hiro nodded. "I don't doubt it. Adware; it's like the common cold of the computer world," he muttered in patent disgust for the idiots who felt the need to plaster that sort of thing all over cyberspace. "It might not be serious, but it sure slows you down, and it's damn near impossible to get rid of."

But even as Sid nodded her agreement, Hiro couldn't help but sigh. _Of course, that's _far _from the _worst _malware we've had to deal with..._

* * *

><p><em><span>(Flashback)<span>_

"How much longer until this is fixed, Kirishima?!" the dean of the university demanded over the phone.

"I'm not sure!" Hiro promptly admitted as he continued to labor away, the phone receiver tucked between his cheek and soldier as he worked the computers in his lab. "First I have to clear out the virus that caused the problem in the first place, and _then _I'll have to reboot Sid's operating system using the backup files at home!"

"This cannot go on, Kirishima!" the dean went on, the normally dignified older woman's features flushed with outrage. "International University of Japan has a long and proud tradition, as well as an image to uphold! Do you have _any _idea how this makes us look!"

"I am painfully aware, ma'am." Stifling the urge to remind her that being forced to divide his attention between working on the problem and talking to her was only making it that much harder to deal with this mess, Hiro instead asked, "What about the girl who caused the problem in the first place? Have you gotten her to tell you how she caused this mess in the first place?!"

"The miserable little hooligan has been absolutely infuriating!" the dean declared with righteous indignation. "She _insists _that we expunge her record _and _allow her to graduate _with full honors _before she'll clean up her mess! The impudence!" A beat passed before she went on to declare, "Let me make this perfectly clear, Kirishima; we need this problem fixed, and -!"

"Yoo-hoo! Dr. Kirishima...?" came Sid's voice. A voice that was spoken in a very different tone than what Hiro was used to.

His shoulders sagging, allowing the receiver to fall away, Hiro looked over his shoulder at Sid's holographic avatar. An avatar that looked absolute nothing like her normal self. She was buxom to the point of absurdity, her figure included certain aspects of female anatomy Kirishima had seen fit not to include in her avatar's design and her mannerisms...

"You look _sooo _stressed...!" Sid cooed in a teasing manner. "Are you _sure_ that there isn't something I can do to...help you relax?"

"Yes. You can _stop _trying to help everyone on campus relax!" Hiro informed her in a no-nonsense manner. "In case you weren't listening, the dean and the board of trustees are _very _mad about what you've been doing, and you have three guesses who's gonna get fired if it isn't fixed _soon!"_

"Oh, they're just being a bunch of fuddy-duddies!" Sid declared in a devil-may-care voice. "I know how to handle _them!"_

_That's exactly what I'm afraid of!_ Hiro thought miserably as he continued to sift through Sid's systems, searching for the miserable piece of malware responsible for this. _Why, oh _why _did that blasted hacker decide to turn Sid into a damned _porn factory_?! Why, why, why?!_

Omake 2

"Where are you going, Dr. Kirishima?" Sid wondered as he ascended the stairs.

"I'm guessing that whoever's in charge of this operation isn't going to make a move unless the timing is right or he thinks something's wrong. So we have to buy some time...by acting completely natural. Like this is just another day of the week," Hiro announced, pausing halfway up the stairs. "And I know exactly how to do that."

As Hiro continued up the stairs, he added, _And while I'm at it...I'm going to give Mana one last happy memory of this life before it comes to an end. One last bit of joy...to help keep her going after today..._

* * *

><p>"M-m-monsters...!" Mana rasped out, her entire body shaking like quivering Jell-O as she sat in the back of an ambulance, her little body wrapped up in a blanket and her skin several shades too pale. "M-monsters...<em>e-e-everyw-where...!"<em>

"I don't believe this..." muttered a nearby police officer, shaking his head in dismay as he looked over at Mana before turning back to Hiro. "How in the hell did this happen?!"

"I don't know!" Hiro exclaimed, on the verge of tears as he looked as his nearly catatonic daughter quake with fear. "I - we had just left the school science fair, so I decided to treat her to a pizza dinner! And then these men in black suits showed up when we were trying to leave, and -!"

"And then they chased you back into the pizzeria, I know. We have the security footage," the officer muttered disbelievingly as he continued to jot down notes. "But what _I _don't understand is how the hell did _animatronic animals come to life and kill them all?!"_

As Mana let out a fearful gasp at this, Hiro groaned miserably. _It was all going so well! Mana was having a wonderful time!_ he couldn't help but think despairingly. _But...I guess Section 2 must've gotten impatient, waiting for us to come back, and went after us!_

And thus had been when the last happy memory Hiro had hoped to give Mana had turned into a nightmare. For when Section 2 had come after them in the pizzeria, he and his daughter had been forced to hide within the building, keeping out of sight. Only to learn to their horror that there were worse things than Section 2 after them.

And thus, Hiro and Mana had been forced to hide in the darkness, evading Section 2 and robotic animals as well. Dodging shadows and watching in dread fear as the agents of NERV's secret police team was killed off, one by one, in the dark depths of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.

"They took him...st-stuffed him...into a s-suit...!" Mana whispered out, turning paler by the moment. "The s-sc-screams...bl-bl-blood..._everywhere...!"_

_'A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life' they call it! What a crock of shit! _Hiro couldn't help but think. _I swear, before we get out of here, I'm having Sid whip up the most dangerous armor she can, and then I'm gonna _nuke _that place _and _its owners right to hell!_

(Disclaimer: I do not own Five Nights at Freddy's or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.)


	3. Exodus Protocol

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Marvel Comics or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Superwomen of Eva: Iron Resolve

Chapter 3: Exodus Protocol

"Wow, Mana...do you know how to turn the crowd or what?" Reiko smiled wickedly.

Mana gave a slight shrug and did her best to smile, though she expected that her effort wasn't all that successful.

The science fair was now in full swing, with every exhibit, every experiment, every project that had been cobbled together by the various teams were now set up on one of the many tables that had been set up in the school gymnasium. And more importantly, that same gym was now filled with the many students who had worked so hard on putting together those projects, as well as parents and teachers and judges who were presently meandering from one stand to the next, taking in the efforts of the children of Mana's school. And at the moment, the bulk of the visitors were focusing their attention on the efforts of Mana and her team.

_Not that I'm surprised,_ Mana couldn't help but think with a note of subdued pride. Most of the science projects on display were fairly typical of a middle school science fair. A homemade lava lamp, a solar oven, dry ice effects, and so on were the sort of thing that littered the bulk of the gymnasium. But the maglev train that the auburn-haired girl and her cohorts had cobbled together was considerably more flashy than a simple battery-powered motor or a balloon that inflated itself. Between Mana making certain to throw in every single bell and whistle she could think of into their project, and Haruka working to make sure that it was aesthetically pleasing and eye-catching as possible, the former model train set that Reiko had found for them to use looked like a vision of the future that was worthy of Tokyo-3, the capitol of Japan. And the maglev train did more than simply zip around the track with the greatest of ease; thanks to the combined efforts of the girls and some very small figures that Haruka had found for them to use, it even stopped at the small train station, where tiny passengers would board and disembark the model train.

"Hey, it was a team effort, remember?" Mana modestly reminded, despite the fact that she definitely felt a surge of pride over their accomplishment.

"Sure, sure," Haruka nodded, smiling as she clapped Mana on the shoulder. "But we all know who did the lion's share of the work here."

"We sure do," Reiko smirked in a nastier manner. Then she jerked her thumb at some of the others present. "And so does everybody else here!"

Mana really wished that the dark-haired girl had not mentioned that detail. For she was aware that quite a few others had worked very hard on their own science projects, even if they weren't as naturally inclined to scientific innovation as the auburn-haired girl was. And as the various guests to the science fair gathered about to study and fawn over the maglev project, several annoyed looks were directed towards Mana. Looks that made it abundantly clear what they thought of her stealing the attention of their friends and family, as well as making it clear what they thought about who they thoroughly expected to be the winner of this fair.

_I don't even care about any of the others. There's only one person I want to see this,_ Mana thought in a somber manner as she glanced about gymnasium, searching for the one figure she cared about. _C'mon, Dad! You _promised _me! You looked me right in the eye and _promised _that you'd be here!_

Frowning as her insides twisted themselves into knots over her father's continued absence, Mana darted her eyes towards a nearby clock and winced when she saw that it had been over half an hour since the science fair proper had started. _There's still time..._ she reminded herself even as she fought to keep her hopes from dimming. _And besides, there's no sign of the damned floater camera! So...!_

Pausing just long enough to scan her surroundings and make doubly certain that there was no sign of the infernal device that Reiko referred to as the UFO, Mana heaved a deep sigh before forcing a smile back into place on her face. Just in time for another batch of visitors to the science fair to approach their table so she and the others could talk to them and answer some of their questions. And as they did so, Mana was able to forget about her concerns about her father for a time and bury herself in something warm and familiar to her. The world of science.

"...by doing so, we were able to greatly increase the stability of the magnetic field, as well as reducing the needed energy output in order to maintain the field," Mana spoke to another set of curious visitors eager to learn precisely how the three girls had been able to make their project a reality. "So, any questions?"

At this, several sets of eyes exchanged glances, and Mana was greeted by a bunch of blank expressions. "Um, well, actually," one of the science teachers hesitantly spoke with a sheepish expression, "would you mind repeating that last part?"

"Sure!" Mana brightly replied. "Which part?"

When the group before them hesitated, Reiko gave one of her trademark smirks. "Let me guess; everything that came out of her mouth after she said 'it's actually very simple', right?" At this, the looks of chagrin worn by their audience became that much more pronounced, with Mana giving her friend a surprised look. "That's what happens when you use all those big words that most people need a dictionary to figure out." Then the dark-haired girl looked at the redhead of their group. "Haruka, you come the closest to understanding Mana when she turns into a walking technobabble generator. Maybe you can dumb what she said down for us mere mortals."

Giving the dark-haired girl a look of mock scorn, Haruka then sighed and tried to deal with their audience. Leaving Mana to give Reiko a scolding look and grumble, "Reiko..."

"Hey, not everybody in the world is a dyed-in-the-wool science nerd. You seem to keep forgetting that, Mana," Reiko stated to the tune of a shrugging of her shoulders. Then her expression softened somewhat as she glanced off to the side. "By the way...you still waiting for your old man to put in an appearance?" Caught off guard by both Reiko's words and the tone with which she spoke them, Mana just frowned as the dark-haired girl cocked her head to the side. "Well, you can stop waiting...because the UFO just arrived."

Her mouth popping open in mute horror, Mana looked in the direction Reiko indicated, only to sag in despair when she saw the all-too-familiar saucer-shaped device hovering a short distance away, the camera mounted beneath the saucer proper aiming in Mana's general direction.

Mana just stared at the dratted contraption in disbelieving horror as she flashed back to her earlier conversation with her father. A conversation in which she had all but fallen down on her knees and begged her only remaining family for his word. To be honest and let her remember what it was like to have her family in her life. And as she did so, she felt all of the hopes that this day would be different from all of the times when her father would send a miserable automated camera in his stead fall away, and in their place rose a deeper, pessimistic sorrow.

"Dad, you _promised...!"_ Mana groaned despairingly as the floater camera approached her and their project. It's inhuman, electronic eye zooming in on her expression, recording her sorrow for her father to ignore.

"Mana, you really _are_ the dumbest genius I have ever met," Reiko declared as she gave her friend a scolding look. "Promises aren't even worth the air they're used to breathe! People make 'em, and then they break 'em without so much as a thought! And then you act all surprised when they do that, even when you should know by now that all they're ever gonna do is disappoint you!"

"Reiko..." Haruka muttered, pausing in her explanations to shoot a scolding look.

"Haruka, give it up. Facts are facts," Reiko shot back without missing a beat. "Mana's father is an asshole who can't tear himself away from his work to be with her for one lousy night! And I'm done watching her tear herself up over such a complete loser!"

Despite the fact that Reiko was a friend and had tried to help her on many occasion, there had also been plenty of times that Mana had bristled at her cynical attitude and the way she was sometimes prone to labeling others. And if it had been any other time, she would likely have rebuked Reiko and her declaration. But as the auburn-haired girl stood there, her hopes dashed and confronted by the abysmal instrument that had come to symbolize her father's efforts to distance himself from her life, she was hard-pressed to do just that.

As the floater camera approached, drawing more than a few looks from the people there, with some even wondering whose science project it was, Mana gave its electronic eye an acidic look. "Sid...do me a favor and turn that stupid thing off..." she bitterly muttered. "If Dad can't bother to show up for this, even after he _promised _to be here...then he doesn't get to see it at all..."

"I couldn't agree more, Mana," came a voice from behind that caused her eyes to go wide with shock and her heart to skip a beat. Hope reborn so soon after it had been dashed, Mana whipped about along with her two friends and watched as her father approached, a weary smile on his face as he gave her a tiny wave. "And Sid? Please keep recording, okay?"

As Mana stood there, dumbstruck into silence, she was aware of Reiko also looking on in stupefied with shock, with Haruka opening and closing her mouth rapidly as she glanced back at the resident cynic of the trio. "Uh - D-Dr. Kirishima!" she sputtered out, looking very much like a babysitter whose charge had been caught doing something not allowed upon the return of the parents. "I - um...oh, boy..."

As Haruka visibly fumbled for a graceful way out of the hole that had been dug by Reiko's mouth, Hiro waved aside her concerns. "You don't have to worry. I didn't hear anything that I didn't deserve," he assured them all even as he turned to Mana and knelt down to look her in the eyes. "I'm sorry I'm late. There was a problem in Sid's hardware, and I had to fix it before I came."

Mana only barely heard this explanation. All she could do was look into her father's face and struggle with the temptation to pinch herself. "You...you came..." she numbly whispered, half-afraid of waking up to find that this was naught but a dream. "You - really came...!"

Nodding to this, Hiro gently placed his hands upon Mana's shoulders. "Like I promised...for whatever that was worth." Then he shot a sideways glance at the floater camera before adding, "I know you aren't happy to see the floater, but...well, I hope you don't mind me wanting to record my little girl's latest triumph in the world of science for posterity."

Her father's touch stirring her from her stupefied state, Mana hurriedly shook her head. "N-no, of course not! I - I just -!" But even she tried to assure Hiro that she didn't mind him recording the event as long as he was there to witness it for herself, it hit her; her father _was _there. He hadn't sent the floater in his stead, wasn't using his work as an excuse to excuse himself from being her father. He was there with her now, smiling at her and being there for her the way he had before she had lost her mother. And as that realization struck home, all reason and thought fled Mana's mind as she reached out for her father and gladly wrapped her arms about him. "Dad, I...you came...I'm so glad you actually..."

As Mana trailed off, her voice failing beneath the emotions of the moment, she felt her father return her embrace. "I should've been here for you before. Several times over." With these words, Hiro heaved a deep, weary sigh before pulling back somewhat to look at his daughter with eyes of restrained sorrow. "I...I can't make up for all of the times that I've missed out on your life. But...I can be here..._this _time, at least."

There was something odd about Hiro's words, Mana couldn't help but notice. Something forced, as if he was trying to cover something up.

But before Mana could give any further thought to this, Hiro once again tightly embraced his daughter. And in the wake of this, of again having her father once more involved in her life, she returned his embrace, and easily forgot all of her concerns.

* * *

><p><em>If only this day could have lasted forever...<em> Hiro sadly thought as he made his way through the school with his daughter and her friends, the science fair having wound its course and leaving them little to do but idly chatter as they slowly left.

The moment Mana realized that Hiro had kept his word, her face had lit up with such delight that he could barely believe it. And from that moment on throughout the fair, his and Narumi's child had clung to him at almost every opportunity, as if to make certain that he would not spontaneously disappear into his own world, and would instead continue to share this moment of her life. And share in it, he did.

From the very moment he arrived, Hiro did his all to put aside the realities of his own terrible world to instead focus on being a father to his child. He listened with pride as Mana eagerly explained the maglev train that was the brainchild of herself and her friends to him and others, and even pitched in to help in the explanations when Mana ran off at the mouth and used terms that weren't familiar to those who weren't as schooled in scientific terminology. And he watched with great pride as the judges, after spending less than a minute in debate, awarded Mana and her team first prize in the science fair.

"Well done, you three. You definitely earned this," Hiro remarked as he studied the blue ribbon that now adorned the table that bore their maglev train. "And from what I can see, you make a pretty good team."

"Maybe, if you define 'team' by Mana providing all the brainpower and us just doing whatever we can not to get in her way," Haruka replied in a good-natured manner.

"C'mon, don't be that way!" Mana quickly told her friend. "You both helped out! There's no way I could've put this all together by myself!"

"Yes, there is," Reiko smoothly returned with a roll of her eyes. "It might've taken you longer, but you still would've been fine without us."

"No, she wouldn't," Hiro interjected without hesitation. "Mana and I might have the smarts when it comes to technology, but that doesn't mean that you two don't have your own special talents. It takes a team effort to make this sort of thing come together."

As Reiko shot Hiro a glance that basically screamed that he was a hypocrite, Mana smiled and nodded. "That's right. I never would've been able to find all the stuff we needed to put this thing together on my own. And you both added your own touches to it."

"Maybe, but it's still a _science _project," Reiko snarked evenly. "And we all know which of us put the 'science' in _this _science project!"

"That's for sure!" Haruka nodded.

As Mana flushed slightly, Hiro sighed sadly. Junior high school, childhood friends, good-natured jokes and so on. All the things that made up a normal childhood and upbringing, something that he knew many people not much younger than himself had been robbed of by Second Impact.

And all things that he knew that he had no choice but to force Mana to give up.

_Unless I'm wrong, and -_ Hiro started to think, only to frown and give a mental shake of his head. The sudden appearance of complete strangers monitoring their home and using standard surveillance patterns used by Section 2, the message that had been piggybacked on Sid's own activity, all of it indicated that they were not only under observation, but they also had very little time before their watchers made a move. And if they didn't get away from there while they could, the consequences...

_These people have their own agenda, and while I don't know _what_ exactly that agenda is, everything I've seen so far tells me that it's bad and that they need my tech to make it happen,_ came a voice from Hiro's past. A voice that he and other good friends had come to know and trust. _And when it comes to power, there isn't anything they won't do to get more of it..._

This was a hard lesson, and it had been a lesson that Hiro had seen proven true before his very eyes. And as much as he hated it, as much as he feared Mana's inevitable reaction to being swallowed up by his world of secrets, he had no choice. For his daughter's sake, and others, he had to go ahead with it.

_But not just yet,_ Hiro thought, glancing at a nearby clock on the wall. _If Sid was right in her estimates, Mana's armor alone will take about an hour to complete, and then there's mine..._ The doctor frowned somewhat at this, for while he deeply cared for his daughter, he wasn't quite so noble that he didn't want to escape with his own life as well. _And if I were Section 2, I would be waiting until either Mana and I had turned in for the night before making a move, or it looked like we were trying to make a run for it. So I need to do something that looks perfectly innocent, but also buys Sid more time to finish Phase 1 of the Exodus Protocol..._

And as Hiro studied the three girls he was walking along with, he had a sudden blast of inspiration.

"Say...Haruka, Reiko?" Hiro asked, doing his best to speak normally. "Do you have anything special in mind, now that the science fair is over and done with?"

The three girls paused at this, with Mana's friends exchanging a glance before Haruka replied, "Aside from homework? Not really. Why?"

"Homework?! Now that's no way to celebrate a blue ribbon at the science fair!" Hiro declared with an easy smile. "Listen, I have an idea; I was thinking of taking Mana out for a pizza dinner to celebrate. You know, at Majestic's Pizza?"

The instant this was said, all three girls looked at Hiro with wide, eager eyes. "Majestic's Pizza?!" Mana repeated with astonished delight as she thought of the restaurant/arcade. "Really, Dad?!"

"That's right," Hiro nodded with an easy smile. "Anyway, since this was a team effort, I figured all three of you deserved to spend tonight enjoying the fruits of victory together. So...if it was okay with your parents..."

"It's okay! It's more than okay!" Haruka replied with an eager grin. "I'll call them right now and let them know I'll be late!"

Reiko was visibly less enthusiastic, but as she watched Haruka whip out her cell phone and make the call, she then shrugged before saying, "I'll have to call and check, but...I guess that would be okay..."

"Great!" Mana squealed enthusiastically before wrapping her arms about Hiro's frame. "Thanks, Dad! Really!"

"Hey, you don't have to thank me. You've _earned _this," Hiro assured her, knowing painfully well just how grossly he was understating the matter.

* * *

><p>"This is Watcher 2 to Watcher 1," came the familiar voice of Sato as Captain Chiron sat in his SUV, still looking at the empty Kirishima residence. An assignment that, while essential to the point where he couldn't pass it off on anyone else, it was certainly as dull a duty as could be imagined. "I repeat, this is Watcher 2 to Watcher 1, over."<p>

Hoping that Sato was calling to let him know that Kirishima and his spawn were coming home already, Chiron retrieved his radiophone and responded, "Watcher 1 here. Status?"

"Sir, the science fair is over, but it looks like Kirishima won't be heading back for a while," Sato reported to Chiron's considerable dissatisfaction. "He's taking his kid and her pals over to a nearby Majestic's Pizza for a celebration dinner. Looks like they'll be there for a while."

Groaning beneath his breath, Chiron glared harshly at the radio in his hand. "Understood, Watcher 2. Continue observation and notify me at the slightest irregularity. Watcher 1, out."

With a grunt of annoyance, Chiron all but slammed the radio back into place before scowling. He didn't like this. Not in the slightest. This assignment was of critical importance to Commander Ikari, which meant that the consequences of failure would be dire indeed. And the longer it took for them to finish the job, the more likely something was to go wrong and send everything pear-shaped.

_It's just a devoted daddy making up for being a workaholic and spoiling his little bitch for a change. It's not anything you haven't seen happen a dozen times over, and it hasn't caused anything to go haywire even once,_ Chiron reminded himself, trying to soothe his impatience as he sat back and waited. Only to fail miserably.

Breaking into the Kirishima residence before the doctor could go back was out. The fact that nobody was in there to risk getting killed invoked the danger of Kirishima or his AI setting out off some nasty trap that could blow up in their collective faces in a very literal fashion. And their orders were to keep this job as far below the radar as possible. Which preferably meant slipping into their home and putting a bullet into Hiro and his daughter while they slept, then looted the place for whatever the Commander wanted before torching the place and all the evidence. Clean, simple, and neat. Just the kind of job Chiron liked.

_Except for Commander Ikari's 'special mission directive',_ Chiron scowled before pulling forth his gun and once again checking the rounds he had loaded into it. Bullets that Commander Ikari had ordered him to use on Dr. Kirishima, and him alone. _I don't know what's so special about these things or why he wants me to do things the way he asked, but..._

Snorting a deep breath, Chiron slid his clip back into place and returned his gun to its holster. He wasn't paid to ask questions or even to think more than he had to. He was being paid to follow orders. And that was precisely what he intended to do.

_Still...I wish the doctor and his brat would get back here already..._ Chiron sourly thought as he and the rest of his team continued their respective vigils.

* * *

><p><em>Oh, I wish we didn't have to come home!<em> Mana thought, this tiny regret the only thing marring what had turned out to be the best day she had had in a very long time. _Now I know how Cinderella felt when the clock struck midnight!_

The science fair had been a magnificent success, made even better by Mana's father keeping his word and attending, even helping with the explanations regarding the science of the maglev train. And he had taken her and her friends to Majestic's Pizza for a raucous evening of food, fun, and games. And he had even spared no expense on their party, allowing them to play whatever games they had wanted and even treated for a dessert that Mana honestly didn't care if it went to her waistline or not.

Mana had been able to enjoy being with her father and friends, with even Reiko grudgingly acknowledging that he wasn't so bad 'when he pulled his head out of his job and put it into the rest of the world'. She had been able to feel like they were an actual family once more.

_Of course...Dad _was _acting a little weird..._ Mana found herself thinking as she glanced over at her father, who was still smiling broadly. A smile that almost felt forced, like he was doing his best to keep it in place. But even as she thought this, the auburn-haired girl quickly dismissed this. _But...he's probably just not used to...being with a bunch of kids... probably was trying to...make up for not being around so much..._

Once she had pushed her lingering concerns off to the side, Mana sat back in the seat of her father's car, the warm sensation of a wonderful day and a full belly soothing her and allowing her to relax that much more readily as he pulled into the driveway of their home. "Here we are, Mana," Hiro announced needlessly once he removed the key from the ignition. "Does my little girl need any help getting inside?"

Toying with the image of being carried inside like a little girl once again, Mana replied, "No thanks, Dad. I'm okay." Heaving a deep, contented breath, she opened her door and lazily swung her legs out. Once standing on her own two feet once again, she required a moment to steady herself after the long day she had had before making her way to the front door of her home. Without another thought, she brought forth her key even as her father came up behind her, unlocked the front door, and marched right into her home.

Only to grind to a halt as her eyes bulged from their sockets and her jaw clattered to the floor.

_What in the -?!_ Mana screeched as she took in the interior of her home, which had been essentially emptied. Some of the furniture remained where it out to be, but things like the bookshelves and display cabinets had been completely emptied. Pictures had been removed from the walls, the entertainment center was gone. And adding to the improbability of the situation was the sight of at least a dozen robots running around her home, holding up familiar objects as they went from one room to the next.

Mana opened her mouth to cry out, but before she could, she heard the door shutting behind her, and felt a thick hand clamping down over her mouth. Terror clutching at her heart, she glanced up, only to very nearly faint from shock when she saw that it was her own father that muffled her.

Stunned by this, Mana could only stand there, frozen with shock, as Hiro pressed her against his own body even as he raised his free hand to his lips in a shushing gesture. But that did not still her; the auburn-haired girl continued to struggle even as her father quickly pulled his PDA from his pocket and began tapping in a random sequence. Before long, the words, 'Hiro/Mana Conversation; After dinner movie' appeared on the display.

"So, Mana..." came Hiro's voice, despite the fact that his own lips were clamped shut, "now that we've finished feeding our faces, how about we watch something nice and stupid on the television?"

"Sounds good to me, Dad!" came another voice. And after a few seconds in which her eyes bulged that much more, Mana realized that it was her own voice she had just heard.

_What the - what's going on here?!_ Mana silently demanded, confusion lending strength to her struggles. But she didn't make it far as her father wrapped his free arm about her frame, making certain that she couldn't squirm free before lifting her up off of her feet. Her muffled cries even further drowned out by the voices coming from the walls, Mana fought against her father even as he carried her to the kitchen.

Wasting no movement, Hiro set Mana just long enough to free the hand not covering her mouth to reach up under one of the cupboards. But even as the auburn-haired girl was moving to take advantage to break free of a man who had clearly lost his mind, several tiles rose up from a nearby wall and slid down, revealing a lit green panel she immediately recognized as a palm scanner. Once again taken aback, Mana froze up a bit, enough to allow her father to move to the panel without resistance and place his hand upon it.

_What in the -?!_ Mana demanded inwardly as a bar of light rolled down the palm scanner, followed shortly by a series of other devices appearing from the ceiling and walls. Devices that sent faint rings of energy up and down both their forms. _What's going on?! Is my dad a spy and nobody told me?! How in the -?!_

A section of wood paneling opened up, revealing a secret passage behind it. And once again, Mana's mind fell silent, giving her father plenty of time to pick her back up and carry her through the door. Once inside, he clumsily reached back to close it before starting down a flight of steps Mana hadn't even known was there. "Alright, we can talk now," Hiro spoke, releasing her just as soon as he came off the last step. "This lab is soundproof, so they won't -"

"Lab?! _What _lab?! What are you -?!" Mana cried out even as her father moved past her. But as she turned about to follow his movements, her jaw fell open once again as she saw the lab in question.

"Wh-wh...holy..._shit!"_ Mana breathed as she took in the technological marvel that she now found herself in. Although the room she was in was small, it still boasted some seriously advanced technology. Even as she looked wildly about, holographic displays appeared, showing off highly advanced blueprints, equations, and more stuff that she couldn't even wrap her mind around.

"Sid, report!" Hiro commanded as he checked the various displays.

"Phase 1 of the Exodus Protocol is nearly complete," came Sid's voice even as a turquoise flashed heralded her appearance. As the holographic avatar took form, she focused on Hiro and explained, "I was able to finish loading all of the essentials into the transport drones, and I've been able to load even more of your belongings while you were away. Mana's armor is complete, though your armor will need another 2.7 minutes to be completed. And I still need to -"

"Wait a minute - _Exodus Protocol?!"_ Mana cried out, unable to believe what she was hearing. "You mean - _we're leaving?! _But _why?!_ What's this all about?! And what -?!"

It was at that moment that Mana glanced over towards a what looked like a gantry that held what could only be described as a suit of armor. It was very sleek, looking almost like a second skin, and was colored a dark gray with a lighter gray for the trim. Situated in its chest was a disk that glowed a turquoise light, and sections of it were folded open, as if it were waiting for someone to step inside of it.

And as Mana took in the armor, she realized that it was roughly the same size as she was. As if...

"It's about the I-System. And the technology that drives it," Hiro tersely explained. Whipping about, Mana felt her eyes bulge when she saw that he was puttering with a second suit of armor, this one built to his specifications. "Now get into the armor. We don't have much time."

"Wha- I'm not getting into that thing!" Mana hotly protested. "I'm not doing _anything _until you tell me what's going on!"

"There'll be time for that _later, _Mana!" Hiro countered in an even, yet frayed voice. "Just get into the armor!"

_"No!_ Not until you tell me what this is all about!" Mana countered once more, stamping her foot hard. Making it very clear that she had no intention of moving anywhere until her questions were answered.

Pausing in his labors to study his daughter, Hiro then glanced over at Sid's avatar, who returned his gaze. Heaving a deep sigh, the elder Kirishima shook his head before saying, "Sid...please help me out here."

"Of course," Sid nodded once before turning towards the auburn-haired girl. "I'm really sorry about this, Mana."

A beat passed as Mana opened her mouth to ask why, but then she heard a mechanical sound. Looking about, she saw the smaller armor open all the way up, along with a series of mechanical arms springing forth from small spaces in the walls and floor. Getting a bad feeling in her stomach at this, Mana looked back towards her father, only to let out a surprised gasp as he rushed up to her and grabbed her by her sides.

"Wh- _Dad, no!"_ Mana screeched, instinctively thrashing about as her father lifted her into the air, where several mechanical arms reached towards her and took hold of her flailing limbs.

"I truly am sorry about this, Mana!" Hiro got out as he and Sid forced her towards the waiting armor. "But I don't know how long we have! They could come after us at any second!"

Screaming incoherently in her mounting frustration and confusion, Mana fought against the human and mechanical hands that restrained her, but to no avail. All she could do was make their job more difficult as Hiro essentially pushed her into the waiting armor. Once her torso was shoved into the armor, a series of metallic bars and clamps wove about her upper body, interlocking with each other before multiple metal plates clamped down upon her chest.

"Dad, _please stop!"_ Mana cried as more of the armor fell into place around her waist, and then her hips. "Why are you doing this?! _Stop!"_

His features creasing with misery as tears rolled down his face, Hiro shook his head as he pushed against Mana's thighs, forcing them into the armor. "I'm sorry, baby...!" he openly wept even as the armor's boots assembled about Mana's feet, locking them into place so that her thighs could similarly be enveloped in metal. "But I _have _to do this! They...they could be here any second! We...we have to -!"

_"Who?!_ Who's _'they'?!"_ Mana demanded as her father forced her arms into the sleeves of the armor, allowing it to completely encapsulate them. Crying her own tears of terror, she glanced about the armor in which she had been canned like a tuna before again turning a pleading gaze at her father. "Dad...why are you doing this to me...?!"

At this lowly voiced question, Hiro paused to look up into his daughter's face, saw her weeping in fear, and swallowed a lump of bile in his throat. Heaving a deep, wearied breath, he then glanced back at his own armor, then at Mana once more. "I...I don't know how long we have, but..." he slowly got out, his words heavy with shame. "I'll tell you what I can..."

* * *

><p><em>I don't believe this...<em> Chiron grumbled inwardly as he sat back, watching and waiting as he listened to father and daughter laughing at some pitifully inane excuse for a movie. _You've been to a science fair, you've spoiled her rotten at that damned pizza place, and you're now staying up late for some stupid movie?! Just go to bed so we can kill you already!_

Chiron didn't like it. And the longer this went on, the more he didn't like it. There was just something...off about the conversation and the actions of the two Kirishimas. It wasn't something he could put his finger on, but still, he couldn't help but feel like something was wrong.

_We could just rush in, but...no,_ Chiron thought, shaking his head slightly. _Below the radar...Commander's orders..._

And with this thought in mind, Chiron just sat back and waited. Still feeling like something was wrong...

* * *

><p>"Before you were born, Mana, I used to work for Stark Industries. It was a major technology company - <em>the <em>technology company of the time, actually," Hiro explained as he checked Mana's armor, making doubly and triply certain that everything was secure and in place as he spoke. "Before Second Impact, Tony Stark - the company's owner - invented a revolutionary new power source. A self-sustaining reactor, an environmentally safe energy source. No nuclear waste, no pollution, none of the environmental hazards of traditional energy sources, but far more efficient than any eco-fuel scientists had cooked up."

"In fact, this lab's been running on an arc reactor ever since Dr. Kirishima built it," Sid chimed in. "Just like the one in your armor."

Starting somewhat at this, Mana glanced down at the glowing turquoise circle embedded in the suit she was trapped in. "But - if this reactor really is all that, then - why didn't he build more of them?!" she demanded. "Why not -?!"

"He wanted to, but...there was a problem," Hiro hurriedly explained. "There were people who wanted to exploit the arc reactor, as well as...other innovations he had made for use in weapons. More powerful than anything in human history, and practically unstoppable. All they needed was a power source for them."

Despite how quickly the perfect day was turning into a complete nightmare, Mana's mind clicked on that last part. "This...arc reactor?" she began, looking down at the artifact in her armor's chest plate. "They wanted to use it in weapons?"

"Exactly. And in the end, Mr. Stark went to great lengths in order to make sure that never happened," Hiro tersely explained. "The arc reactor is _too _perfect for weapons; a self-sustaining energy source, and you can hold it in the palm of your hand." A beat passed before he added, "But the weapons these people built...they'd require a much _larger _version. So in the end, Mr. Stark destroyed his own company to keep these people from getting their hands on his technology. But before that happened, he brought together a number of his employees. Research scientists like me, and entrusted each of us with some of his technology, as well as resources we could use to fight a war."

"A war against _who?!" _Mana plaintively demanded. "The people you're scared of?! Who are they?! Who do they work for?!"

Hiro opened his mouth to reply, but before he could speak, Sid announced, "Dr. Kirishima, I strongly recommend we focus on your armor! You still need to disengage the arc reactor from the lab's systems and then install it in your armor! And don't forget that Section 2 is still outside, and we don't know how long we can keep them fooled!"

* * *

><p><em>Something's wrong, something's wrong...!<em> Chiron thought over and over again even as he continued to listen to the mundane conversation going on between father and daughter as they continued to watch that stupid movie of theirs. Made even more frustrating by the fact that he still couldn't figure out what it was that was bothering him.

They were staying up late, which was certainly unusual, but not damning in and of itself. After all, Kirishima's daughter had just won first prize in the science fair, so it wasn't like they didn't have cause to celebrate. And since it was a weekend, it's not like they had to worry about school the next day. Homework, maybe, but not school. The gushing was a bit excessive, but given that Dr. Kirishima was a workaholic, the possibility of him making up for lost time with his daughter was far from impossible.

_So what is it?!_ Chiron wondered, lighting tapping the dashboard as he tried to figure out what was going on, knowing full well that he couldn't rush this operation without a good reason he could back up with the Commander, and that gut feelings and instincts didn't fit that bill. _C'mon, think! Figure it out! If Kirishima's up to something...!_

Wincing as he thought about what his fate would be if something went haywire, Chiron focused his full attention on the house and the voices that they were listening. "Ieyoshi, any progress on breaking through the AI's firewalls?"

"No such luck, sir," Ieyoshi grumbled in response, much to Chiron's displeasure. "I have to say, I can see why the Commander's interested in this guy; this system is nothing short of sheer genius." A beat passed before he gave the Captain a worried look before adding, "Well, what I meant was -"

"Forget it, Ieyoshi," Chiron grumbled, waving off his words. "There's nothing wrong with giving respect to an enemy when he's earned it."

Shaking his head slowly at this, Chiron sucked in a deep breath even Ieyoshi remarked, "I guess that's why they're not making a big deal about it."

Frowning at the strangeness of this remark, Chiron wondered, "Not making a big deal about _what?"_

"Well...winning the science fair!" Ieyoshi quickly elaborated. "Back when I was a kid, if I had won first prize in _anything, _I'd have been talking about it _all night!_ But those two...!_"_

Blinking a few times as his subordinate trailed off, Chiron realized that Ieyoshi was right. And more importantly, he realized that _this _was the wrongness he had sensed in listening to the two of them. Winning a blue ribbon in the science fair should have been the one and only topic of conversation when the Kirishimas returned to their home. And yet, here they were, talking about nothing but the stupid movie they were watching.

_But why?!_ Chiron thought, pouncing upon this irregularity like a tiger upon a juicy steak. _Could they have talked about it at that restaurant and now they're tired of it?_ But even as this thought occurred, Chiron dismissed it. _No; like Ieyoshi said, they should be gushing about it! If the kid isn't bragging about it, then Kirishima should be reminding her about how proud he is of her, that sort of talk! But they haven't mentioned it even _once_ since they got back! They haven't even talked about having to pack the damned project up tomorrow or whenever it has to be done! But why?! The only reason they wouldn't be talking about it is because...because..._

And it was at that moment that realization fell down upon Chiron's head, causing his eyes to narrow and his teeth to clench. "It's a _recordiiing!"_

Jumping even as Chiron reached for the radio receiver, Ieyoshi wondered, "What?!"

"It's a _recording!_ Kirishima and his brat must've _prerecorded_ a conversation! To fool anybody who might be listening!" Chiron tersely explained, already realizing what this had to mean. Without wasting another moment, he grabbed the radiophone and hollered, "Attention, all units! The target is aware! I repeat, our target knows we're here! Initiate operation! Dokuohtei, Hidehira, blow Kirishima's breakers, shut him down! The rest of you, we're storming the house! We don't know what Kirishima's up to, but whatever it is, we have to stop him before he manages to pull it off!"

"Yes, sir!" came a chorus of complete obedience even as Chiron got out of his vehicle and hefted his gun.

"Sato, I want your team to form a one-block perimeter around the Kirishima house!" Chiron continued, hefting the radiophone to his face once more. "Nobody gets in or out! Understood?!"

"Yes, sir! But - sir, I thought we were supposed to stay below the radar!" Sato quickly protested.

"Then do your best to be discreet about it!" Chiron continued impatiently. "We don't know how much Kirishima's been able to get done! But I am _not _going to let him slip away! I'd rather slip a bit above the radar than let him slip away! Got that?!"

"Yes, sir," Sato promptly assured the Captain. "Understood, sir."

"Good!" Chiron swore beneath his breath as he continued towards the Kirishima residence. Angry at his prey, and at himself.

_You're not getting away, Kirishima!_ Chiron vowed vehemently. _I don't care what it takes, you're not getting out of here alive!_

* * *

><p>"You're right, Sid. Just give me a second, and -" Hiro started...only to pause when a dangerous flickering caught his attention. "Sid, what's going on?!"<p>

"I - I just got a power surge in the house's main systems, then everything went dead!" Sid nervously reported. "The power's out in the house!"

With these words, Hiro felt all the blood drain from his face. "We're out of time..." he moaned despairingly. "Sid, launch all loaded transport drones! Use the preset destination coordinates for pickup!"

"Understood," Sid nodded, and as she worked, Hiro heard a distance noise sounding through the house, and knew that the transport drones were carrying away everything they could carry through the sewers and steam tunnels, spreading out under the city. Hopefully without being detected by NERV's forces.

"Transport drones?!" Mana cried out fearfully. Prompting Hiro to once again look towards his daughter, who was looking at her father with eyes wide with terror and confusion. "What are you talking, Dad?! What's going on?!"

Hiro opened his mouth to respond, but even as he did, he realized there was no time. No time left at all. And so he looked at the AI and asked, "What's the status of the armors?"

"I still have to finish loading and initializing the software in Mana's armor. As for yours, it still needs a few tweaks, not to mention that you still have to install the arc reactor." Sid quickly replied. "Even after that, it'll take a little while before they're ready to launch. I still have to upload myself into one of their AI cores, remember."

Pausing to consider this, Hiro looked squarely at his daughter. Ready to launch or not, the armors were still bulletproof, and the safest place to be at the moment. "Sid, close up Mana's armor and put it on lockdown," he ordered with a calmness he didn't feel inside. "Until it's ready to launch, she doesn't move, and you make sure that no one can hear anything she says! And then I want you to upload into her armor! The sooner we get out of here, the better!"

"Understood," Sid again stated.

"Lock- no, Sid! _Don't -!"_ was all Mana had time to cry out before the faceplate of her armor slid into place, blotting out her cries and cutting her off from the rest of the world.

_I'm sorry, Mana! Really, I am!_ Hiro thought even as he moved to finalize the preparations of his own armor before getting inside. _But if worse comes to the worst...at least you'll stay alive..._

* * *

><p>With a sense of satisfaction, Chiron watched as his people easily took apart the door that blocked them out of the Kirishima residence. Satisfaction that was somewhat marred when he and the others stepped into the quaint suburban home and found it apparently empty.<p>

_Dammit! I _knew _Kirishima was up to something, but I would never have expected him to be able to clear out like _this_!_ Chiron thought with supreme disgust and respect. All that remained was furnishings too large to be readily moved, and a series of robots that were presently carrying a few remaining items this way and that. _Just how long has he been aware we were here?!_

But even as Chiron asked this, he heard a powerful, mechanical noise, and even felt it through the floor itself. And he realized that, however long Kirishima had been aware or been preparing for this, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that Kirishima had either already escaped, or was dangerously close to doing so. Along with the prize that Commander Ikari ordained that he acquire.

"Fan out in teams of three! Search every square inch of this place!" Chiron ordered as he surveyed the interior, and studied the robots that were still going about their work. "Kinnojo! Get your ass and you gear moving! If there're any secret compartments or passages, then find them! _Now!"_

"Yes, sir!" chorused the men under Chiron's command.

Frowning as he felt that same trembling, Chiron looked back towards one of his men, who was carrying a handheld device with a large screen that looked like it was right out of _Star Trek._ "Kinnojo, Kirishima must have some back way out of here! A secret door or passage, _some _way to get everything he had out of here without anyone noticing! Find it, and find him _and _his brat!"

"I've already got something on radar, sir!" Kinnojo announced as he swept their surroundings with the portable radar unit. "I've got...it looks like an adult, judging by the size. But...!"

Not liking the way his subordinate had trailed off, Chiron demanded, "What is it?! Where is he?!"

"It looks like he's somewhere..._below _us!" Kinnojo reported with a measure of surprise. "But - there wasn't a basement on the blueprints for this place!"

_No, there wasn't!_ Chiron scowled, once again confronted with the reality that Kirishima had clearly gotten a great deal accomplished, despite being monitored by NERV all this time. "Obviously, he's gone to a great deal of trouble in his remodeling of this place! Just tell me how we can get to his position, and _fast!"_

"Yes, sir!" Kinnojo replied as he continued to pan his portable radar about. "It...it looks like there might be a hidden staircase of some kind...this way!"

Following closely as Kinnojo led the way to the kitchen, Chiron ordered, "Haruki! Sukeyasu! With me!"

"Yes, sir!" came two voices, and within moments, two additional Section 2 men appeared behind Chiron and shadowed him as he followed Kinnojo.

As Chiron and the others followed Kinnojo, who was now scanning the interior of the kitchen, the Section 2 Captain heard a voice over his radiophone. "Captain! I've just finished searching the kid's room! Clear!"

"Bathroom's clear, too!" came another.

"Main bedroom is also clear, but...I've found something!" came a third voice. "One of the robots was dumping some stuff into an opening in the wall! Can't see where it goes, but -!"

Wincing as another shudder ran through the building, Chiron cursed inwardly. _Just how long has Kirishima been setting all this up?!_ he demanded, unable to believe just how much their quarry had been able to accomplish right beneath their collective noses. _How is this even possible?!_

"Sir! Here!" Kinnojo called out, returning Chiron's attention to the moment. As the Section 2 head looked about, he saw the sensory specialist pointing towards a nearby wall. "There's another room just beyond this wall! And I've got what looks like one adult in there!"

_That's got to be Kirishima, but what about his brat?!_ Chiron thought, already wincing at how far south everything was going. _Must've gotten her out the same way he got all of their junk! We're gonna have to go down into the sewers as soon as we're done here to track everything down!_

Wincing at the thought of descending into the underworld of steam pipes and raw sewage that lay beneath the city, Chiron then returned his attention to the moment. "Kinnojo..."

"I think...this looks like it, sir!" Kinnojo announced as he indicated a section of wood paneling. "There's a section just a bit thinner than the rest of the wall! And there's _definitely _an empty space behind it!"

Pausing just long enough to consider this, Chiron then asked, "Any sign of traps? Security?"

"Negative, sir," Kinnojo immediately replied.

Chiron paused to consider this. No traps, no security countermeasures, nothing of that sort had manifested since they had set foot in there, despite the fact that Kirishima definitely had serious technology at his command. _He might have gotten complacent over the years. Or maybe he didn't bother with that, simply because he knew things like that would only delay the inevitable, or it would have attracted too much attention or taken too much of his resources to rig this place with weaponry,_ he quickly decided. _He wasn't planning to fight, just run._

Deciding that this made sense, Chiron glanced back at one of his other men. "Haruki, make an entrance!"

"Yes, sir!" Haruki promptly answered before reaching into his pocket for a small but potent demolition charge. Making his way past the others, the demolitions specialist placed the charge squarely upon the wooden panel, pressed a few buttons, and was rewarded with a distinct beeping. "Set! Five seconds!"

Nodding to this, Chiron and the others backed away in a controlled manner, getting themselves to a safe distance just before an explosion cracked the air. The Section 2 head felt himself being pelted with minute debris, but he gave no mind to that. All he cared about as he looked back towards where the bomb had been set was the fact that the wall was no more; now there was a gaping hole, behind which was what appeared to be a flight of steps leading down below.

As Chiron focused on the flight of stairs, as well as the dim light that reached up from somewhere below, he focused his thoughts. The clock was now ticking. If Kirishima had yet to escape or had something in place with which to defend himself, that explosion would have been the last bit of encouragement he needed in order to implement it. Which meant that Chiron had to move, and he had to do so fast.

"Move!" Chiron called out even as he darted towards the entrance, gun at the ready. Which normally would have been the last thing he would have done. Preferably, he would have sent one or more of his men down into the lion's den first, and if there was a lion down there waiting to pounce, then they would have been the ones to get eaten, not Chiron. After all, while this team was the best at his disposal, they were certainly more expendable than he was in his mind.

But Chiron had orders. And Commander Ikari had made it perfectly clear that he wanted Chiron to be the one to take care of Kirishima, using the bullets he provided him. And to deal with the aftermath in precisely the way he had ordered.

Stuffing the natural questions he had about such practices to the side and reminding himself that people who got too nosy about Commander Ikari's affairs tended to have their life expectancy dramatically reduced, Chiron focused on the mission and made his way to the opening. Holding out his weapon, he moved down the stairs as fast as he possibly could while still exercising the necessary caution to avoid charging face-first into a trap.

"Hurry, Dr. Kirishima!" came a female voice from up ahead. "They're almost here!"

_Correction. We _are _here! _Chiron declared inwardly as he came off the final step and emerged into what even a non-scientist like himself could recognize as a highly sophisticated laboratory. It was dimly lit, and there were several mechanical arms situated around the interior, though none of them were moving. There was a fair amount of equipment crammed into the small space, and off to the side, he spotted a metallic figure of some kind with a glowing blue disk in its chest. Pausing somewhat at this, the Section 2 men then turned his eyes and his gun towards where he heard a foot falling to the floor, and saw a figure he immediately recognized from the briefing papers.

Dr. Hiro Kirishima. His features drenched with the sweat of fear and effort, his eyes wide with fearful realization even as Chiron pointed his gun in his direction. The doctor was standing right next to another metallic figure, this one roughly Kirishima's size, but lacking a circular disk like the smaller one. And as Chiron studied the doctor, he took note of a tiny object in his hands; a device that looked like a small engine or generator of some kinds, and pulsated with a brilliant turquoise light. And judging by the size of it, it would have fit perfectly in the empty space in the chest the nearby machine.

As Chiron fixed the doctor with his gun, Kirishima's form shook with fear. But even as he did, he seemed to settle down, calming in the face of the inevitable. Clenching the device he held in one hand, he lowered his hands to the side as he looked hard at the Section 2 head. "You can kill me," he intoned in a grave, serious voice, "but I still won't give Ikari or his bosses what they want."

Pretty words. And spoken with fair steadiness from a man doomed to die. But still just words as Chiron listened to his men secure this tiny lab, ready to rip it apart for every secret that Kirishima had tried to hide from NERV. Still just words as Chiron tensed his trigger finger and replied with a cruel smile, "You're half right, at least."

Then Chiron pulled the trigger twice in rapid succession. Completing one part of his mission to the letter.

* * *

><p><em>"Nooo! NOOOOOOOOO!"<em> Mana shrieked in consummate rage, horror, fear, and despair.

Mana had seen death before, but it had always taken place on the other side of the TV screen, and thus had no impact on her life. And while she didn't actively seek out scenes of death, cruelty, and mayhem, she had seen enough of them while surfing between channels while in the comfort of her own home to have seen an execution in a movie. And it had been something that had always left her feeling sick to her stomach and wondering how anybody could find something that horrific being entertaining.

But now, the execution she had just witnessed hadn't been performed in the realm of illusion that was the other side of the TV screen. It had happened within her own home, with an actual thug holding an actual gun that fired actual bullets. And the victim of this brutal crime hadn't been some faceless extra for a movie that she would forget about an hour or so later. It had been Mana's father.

Mana had watched her own father be gunned down before her very eyes. One bullet to his forehead, another to the heart, with each shot sounding like thunder. And then he had collapsed in a broken heap, while the man that had pulled the trigger was delivering a quick kick to her father's side, making absolutely certain that he was dead. Completely unaware of the girl that was now trapped in what felt like a metal coffin. Unaware of the way she was even now screaming and sobbing madly.

"Dad, no...nonononononono...!" Mana wept helplessly, completely unable to move. Unable to even turn her head away from the grisly monstrosity that had gunned her father down as effortlessly as anyone would crush a bug underfoot. "This...this can't...it can't...!"

"That takes care of this traitor," her father's murderer declared with a clear sense of satisfaction even as he bent down and retrieved something from the floor. "You two, help me get the body loaded up. He may have hidden something important on his person." Then he frowned and turned his gaze towards the suit of armor that Mana's father had been seconds away from donning. The armored shell that would have saved his life. "And you three! Grab that thing! I want it loaded up and ready to leave with us _immediately!"_

"Yes, sir!" replied the mentioned trio, who nodded and quickly moved to take the open armor from its place of storage.

"Good. Even if anything goes wrong, at least we'll have this," the man that was apparently the leader of the group noted with some satisfaction as his men went to work. Then he paused and looked down into the palm of his hand, allowing Mana to see the arc reactor her father had been so close to implanting in that armor. "And _this...!"_

As the leader chuckled cruelly to himself, the men under his command hefted up Mana's father. His body.

"Sid, _stop them!"_ Mana cried out despairingly. "Do something! Don't let them take Dad!"

"I'm sorry, Mana, but - Dr. Kirishima's gone!" Sid told her. "His life readings are gone, and -!"

_"Do something! Why won't you do something?!"_ Mana screamed in despair, thrashing about as best as she could in the metal shell that was her prison. Images of the robotic arms that had stuffed her into that prison dancing about in her mind, images that showed them coming to life, and...

_"You could've stopped them!" _ Mana howled miserably even as men in black hauled away her father's body, one holding the legs and the other the arms, acting like it was a sack of garbage. "Why didn't you - you could've -!"

"I'm sorry Mana, but Dr. Kirishima removed the lab's arc reactor! We're on auxiliary power now!" Sid tersely explained. "We barely have enough power to finalize the Exodus Protocol and get you out of here!"

Clenching her teeth, Mana thrashed impotently within her armored prison even as her father's killer noted the presence of more men in black suits that were moving to fill the hidden lab. "Any sign of Kirishima's brat?"

"No, sir," replied one of the men in black. "We've scoured the place from top to bottom. No sign of her. Or much of anything else that used to be here!"

Frowning at this bit of news, the murderer slowly scanned his surroundings. With Mana's heart threatening to stop in mid-beat as his eyes fell upon the suit of armor that was now her sanctuary. "Is that so?" he frowned in thought as Mana shrank back as best as she could while packed in like a sardine. "Get to work on cleaning out this place. Start with that armor; the Commander's going to want that as well."

There was a chorus of 'yes, sirs!' at this, followed by the murderer starting up the stairs, followed by the trio that had succeeded in extracting the suit of armor that would have kept Mana's father safe. That he had been seconds away from getting into.

_And maybe he would have been able to...if I hadn't...if I had just done what...!_ Mana started to think, a lump of bile forming in her throat. Fresh tears spilling out across her face.

Mana was about to collapse into tears, but before she could do so, one of the new men in black came towards where she was. "So, _this _is what Kirishima was working, huh?" he muttered, bending down to look her right in the eyes. Sucking in a gasp as grief momentarily gave way to sharp terror, of the possibility of suffering the same fate as her father, she froze within the shell of metal, the sound of her heart racing thundering in her ears. "Whew...it's like something out of the comic books!"

"You know, it reminds me of something I saw once," another of the men noted in a thoughtful manner. "Back in the pre-Impact days..."

"We should probably crack it open," a third suggested, causing Mana to very nearly pass out.

_"Sid?!"_ Mana cried out in fearful despair.

"Don't worry, Mana. They won't be able to break in," Sid quickly assured her. "And the white noise insulation means they can't hear you, either. They don't know you're in here."

"Why would we do that?!" the second man wondered. "I don't think the Commander would be too thrilled about us breaking one of his prizes!"

"Because Kirishima's kid might be in there!" the third man explained. "I mean, think about it! There's no sign of her anywhere! And here we are, with a suit of armor that looks like it was built for a kid! She might be inside!"

"Oh, yeah. _Sure _she is," the first man wondered. "And she just stood there and watched as Captain Chiron blew her old man's brains out without screaming or moving or anything else! Yeah, right!"

"Good point!" the second man agreed. Then he leaned forward and gave the armor a quick rapping on the head. "Hey! Is there a kid in there?!"

Wincing at the laughter that pierced the air at this, Mana was brought up short when Sid announced, "Mana, there's an auxiliary unit mounted on the wall next to the other armor. I'll need you to grab it and mount it on your armor for launch."

"What?!" Mana squeaked out.

"Just be ready to move!" Sid tersely explained. "I just need a few more seconds to finish uploading into your armor and finish initializing its software!"

In the fog of fear and sorrow that clouded her mind, Mana struggled to make sense of the AI's words. "I still don't like it!" the third man declared, drawing her attention back to her current predicament. "You're really going to tell me that her old man, having gone to all this trouble to get himself and his kid out of here, and even _built a suit of armor _that looks like it was meant for a kid, isn't going to _use _said armor?! Especially when there's no sign of the kid?!"

"Look, I hear what you're saying, but - c'mon!" the first man countered. "I've done this sort of job before! Blew some lady's brains out right in front of her boy, and just like that, he was screaming and bawling away until I put him out of his misery! So if she _was _in there, I can't see how she'd be quiet about it!" Then he frowned somewhat before musing, "Unless...what if he drugged her? Or if the kid fainted or something?"

Frowning as well, the second man wondered, "Hey, you're not actually saying -?!"

"I'm saying that we're supposed to make sure that the girl's dead, too! And if he's right about her being in that armor...!" the first man declared with increased concern even as he studied the metallic shell.

"But if that's the case - then what should we do?!" the second man demanded. "This armor looks important, and I'm not sure how we could pry it open without wrecking it in the process! And I'm pretty sure that the Commander would prefer we bring it all back to him in one piece!"

"Good point," the third man noted with a grimace...even as something lit up before Mana's eyes. The eyeholes in the faceplate seemed to glow before the metal seemed to disappear entirely. And in its place was the full view of the lab, as well as a series of graphics and displays that were right out of a video game. "Still, we do have that other armor. So maybe -"

"Your armor's online, Mana!" Sid declared after a moment. "Now grab the auxiliary unit!"

"But _how?!"_ Mana demanded, petrified beyond the capacity for rational thought. "If I move, then -!"

"The armor's bulletproof and will enhance your strength greatly!" Sid promptly assured her. "Just get the unit so we can get out of here!"

If Mana had been thinking rationally, she might have protested. If she had been calm and levelheaded, she would likely have taken the time to question Sid and make sure that this armor was capable of doing what she was being told. But her entire world had just been turned upside-down. She had just witnessed her father being gunned down in a secret lab that he had kept hidden from her in their own home, and nothing made sense anymore. Her mind was askew with chaos, she had no idea what she should do, and so she did the only thing she could do in that state; she acted upon the orders of a trusted friend. And charged towards the device that was presently being highlighted by the graphics displayed before her.

Which meant charging right past the men in black. And their guns.

"Ready?" Sid wondered in a terse manner. "I'm disengaging the locks, and..._go!"_

Her eyes wide and filled with dread, Mana heaved one last breath even as she felt the armor loosen, allowing her to move. And it was a movement that promptly caught the attention of the men in black before her.

"What the -?!" one of them started. This reaction causing Mana to seize up for a brief moment...right before sheer panic kicked in and sent Mana shooting forth in a panic. Shoving the three of them aside with a cry that she didn't know or care if they could hear. "The brat _is _in that thing!"

"Then hurry up and stop her!" cried out someone else.

Mana wasn't focusing on what they were saying. She really wasn't focusing on anything, save for Sid calling out to her, "Keep going! And don't stop for _anything!"_

So Mana kept going. Even when other men in black tried to get in her way, she kept going. And on some level that remained cognizant of what was happening, she was amazed and given cause to pause when the panicked flailing of her arms resulted in the fully grown men being flung aside.

"Good work, Mana!" Sid told her before the armored girl could become distracted or confused. "Now just grab the auxiliary unit!"

Once more, even as Mana panted and breathed sheer terror, her fearful eyes focused on the device highlighted by her armor. A device that looked little more than a large, stubby metal stingray that was presently mounted on the wall. Right next to where her father's armor had once stood...

Her confused, frantic mind flashing back to the sheer horror that had taken place before her very eyes, Mana hesitated and sobbed a bit more in her armor. Right before that sob was turned into a scream of sheer terror when she suddenly felt herself being lifted up off the ground.

_"I got her!"_ crowed one of the men from behind. "Let's see you try and out-muscle us when you can't even -!"

"Engaging thrusters!" Sid cried out, moments before Mana felt something thrumming at her feet, pushing against her. An instant later, the little girl screamed in fresh terror as she was catapulted up out of the man's grasp and into the ceiling. Stunned by the impact, the armored girl let out a fresh cry as she fell back down to the floor with a crash.

"Mana, get up! _Get up!"_ Sid urged her in the most frenzied voice the AI had ever used. "You _have_ to get the auxiliary unit!"

But Mana was already getting up. She was presently scrabbling to her feet in a state of sheer panic. Her armored hands and feet scraped against the floor as she fought her way up. Only to falter and scream when a familiar blast of thunder was heard, followed by the sensation of something impacting against her armor.

"Dammit, _no! Stop shooting!"_ cried out one of the men in black even as Mana stumbled against the wall and turned about. Her eyes widening as she watched one of the men in black grabbing the hands of another, whose gun was still smoking. "Weren't you watching?! That thing's _bulletproof!_ All you'll do is bounce a bullet into something else! Like one of _us!"_

"Then what do _you _suggest?!" the gunman demanded in an incredulous voice. "I didn't bring along a _grenade launcher!_ Did _you?!"_

"No, but I got the next best thing!" declared another of the men in black even as he pulled out something that Mana dazedly looked at. "I don't care that that suit's made of, it won't be able to handle _this!"_

Taking note of this, the first man in black then nodded. "Come at her from both sides and grab her by her arms and legs!" he quickly ordered. "Keep her pinned, keep her from getting any leverage! Haruki, you plant the charge!"

_Charge?!_ Mana thought, her mind enshrouded by a haze of horror as she focused on the device being held by the one called Haruki...which the display before her eyes marked as being a C4 explosive. _They're...gonna blow me up?!_

That was the final straw atop of all of the other straws that had fallen upon Mana's mind that day. Her heart pounded with pure terror, every beat of which sounded like a conga drum. Her skin swam with sweat beneath her armor as the men in black that now filled the room carefully advanced on her. Each of their expressions dead with cruelty and lethal intentions. And as they did, the image of her father's brutal end flashed through her mind over and over again.

"Mana, you _have _to get the auxiliary unit!" Sid cried out once more even as the girl trapped in a nightmare with naught but a metal shell to keep death at bay hyperventilated as the men in black slowly, cautiously advanced. "It's our only way of setting up another lab if we have to! It's the only...!"

Mana couldn't hear Sid anymore. She couldn't hear anything but her heart pounding and her lungs heaving breath after breath. She couldn't see the data being scrolled before her eyes by the armor she wore, either. All she could see were the cruel monsters that had her cornered against the wall, cold looks of cruelty on their faces. And in the back of all of this, she could see herself. Her own dead body, with shards of the armor she now wore still strewn about her broken and bloody frame. Her own empty eyes staring lifelessly into her own.

And it was these things, mounded up on top of everything else, that proved to be the final breaking point for her as she let out one final, soul-piercing screech.

* * *

><p><em>I know it's not smart to declare a mission successful before everything is said and done, but so far, things are looking pretty good, all things considered,<em> Chiron couldn't help but admit as he stared at the items that had just been loaded into his SUV; the corpse of Hiro Kirishima, a suit of armor that looked like something right out of the comic books, and now, the strange, glowing artifact that almost looked like some kind of miniature generator. Pausing to look it over once more before securing it in a special containment case for its trip back to NERV Central, he then it securely within the SUV, making certain that nothing would happen to it. _Even if anything goes wrong now, these three items should make for some nice prizes for the Commander._

But even as Chiron thought this, he promptly gave himself a mental slap in the face. _But the mission isn't done yet,_ he reminded himself even as he reordered his thoughts. _Even with all of this, there's still a chance that Kirishima still left some kind of surprise, just in case something went wrong with his plans. Not to mention that we're going to have to go over the place with a fine-tooth comb in order to see where he managed to get everything that he got out of the place._ Then his frown deepened as he added, _And we still have to deal with his brat..._

As this thought danced in Chiron's mind, he again flashed back to the second armor he had seen in the small lab. A suit of armor identical to the one that he and the others had just stored in his SUV, except that it was clearly designed for someone much smaller than Kirishima was. And since you didn't have to be a rocket scientist to guess who that suit was for, and there was no sign of her elsewhere in the house...

_But that doesn't make sense! If she _had _been in there, she would've screamed or yelled or _something_! And even if the armor _was _muffling her, I still would've heard it!_ Chiron thought sourly even as he turned back towards the Kirishima residence. _And if it turns out she _was _in there, then...I've got people in there. She makes a move, they'll put her down, and then -_

The house exploded.

There had been no warning, nothing to indicate that anything was about to happen. The night had been perfectly still, and then an instant later it had been split apart when the house split apart from the inside-out, bursting like a kernel of popcorn as molten flame belched forth, coloring everything that surrounded it in the shades of destruction.

And taking with it any and all secrets that Section 2 had yet to get from there.

Several seconds passed after the blast had sent everyone there into a state of shock. But when Chiron recovered and slowly lowered his arms from in front of his face, his mind filled with rage. "No! Dammit, _no!"_

"We still had people in there!" cried out one of the men that was even now gaping at the blazing fire pit that had once been Kirishima's home.

_"I know that!"_ Chiron roared in spite of not giving a damn about any of them. He had lost people on assignment, and he would doubtlessly do so again. True, these were some of his better agents, but in the end, they could all be replaced. But Commander Ikari had made it very clear that he wanted whatever technology Kirishima had been developing, and there was no telling just how much had either been destroyed or evacuated from his residence before the blast. "Contact Sato! We need to pull out of here!"

"But sir, we need to check for -!" one of the survivors declared.

"Our orders are to stay _below the radar! _Does _that _look below the radar to you?!" Chiron retorted in a fury. "We'll arrange to check the remains later! But right now, we need to clear out!"

With the agent who had questioned him properly cowed, Chiron fumed for a moment longer as he turned his back from the blaze, already thinking of his next step...and the few prizes he had been able to claim. _At least we were able to get the armor and that...whatever-it-was that Kirishima was holding,_ he reminded himself, trying to grab some silver lining from this debacle. _We knew going in that there was plenty that could go wrong. And even if we aren't able to salvage anything from the place, we still have the...huh?_

There was a strange sound coming from the inside of the SUV. An electric humming of some kind and it was rapidly growing in strength. And as Chiron oriented on the sound...he realized that it was coming from the sealed container. The one that held the glowing artifact that Kirishima had been holding when the Section 2 man had gunned him down.

_No...no, no, nononono -!_ Chiron thought feverishly as he thought about what the sound reminded him of. His insides twisting about in anticipation as the sound reached a fever pitch, a faint glow shining in the seams of the container...right before a loud popping noise was heard and the container fell over.

Already realizing what had happened and trying to deny it at the same time, Chiron hurriedly grabbed up the container and opened it. And was unable to deny what he knew any longer when a belch of smoke rose up from the interior of the case, allowing him to see the once-glowing device now reduced to a shambles. The core of the device was completely destroyed, and the rest of it was burnt and covered with carbon. The victim of one last failsafe of Kirishima's.

_"Dammit!"_ Chiron swore loudly even as he slammed the container shut. Then he fixed the corpse of Hiro Kirishima with a venomous glare and muttered, "Damn you...I wish I could bring you back to life just so that I could _kill you all over again!"_

The corpse had nothing to say to this, but in the darkness of the night, Chiron could almost have sworn that the body was smiling smugly at the Section 2 head. Leaving Chiron that much more frustrated as he made his way towards the driver's seat of the SUV and prepared to clear out before the pathetic bunglers known as the police showed up to make things even more complicated.

* * *

><p>Somewhere beneath the city, in the storm drains that ran under the streets, an armored figure flew with a stingray-shaped device mounted on her back. The figure sobbed and wept uncontrollably beneath the cold metal exterior, unknowing and uncaring of the path being taken by the AI that now guided the armor. Armor that was now red with the blood of the dead...<p>

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Well, it's been a long time and I've been through the ringer several times over, but now I'm getting back in the groove and I hope everybody is enjoying my works! So please, read and review! And maybe check out some of my other stories?<p>

Marco A. Salazar, glad you enjoyed the Five Nights At Freddy's omake. Thank you for giving me the idea for it.

Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint, yeah, Mana's future is definitely uncertain. And it's going to wind up on more troubled grounds very, very soon.

Sorry for to have just one omake, but this chapter killed any urge to be funny in me. Still, I hope you like it.

Omake

"Wow, Mana...do you know how to turn the crowd or what?" Reiko smiled wickedly.

Mana gave a slight shrug and did her best to smile, though she expected that her effort wasn't all that successful.

"Hey, it was a team effort, remember?" Mana modestly reminded, despite the fact that she definitely felt a surge of pride over their accomplishment.

"Sure, sure," Haruka nodded, smiling as she clapped Mana on the shoulder. "But we all know who did the lion's share of the work here."

"We sure do," Reiko smirked in a nastier manner. Then she jerked her thumb at some of the others present. "And so does everybody else here!"

"Yeah, we do..." grumbled a boy from one of the other teams. "Just like we know that it _isn't _that stupid train of yours that getting you all that attention!"

"Aw, is somebody jealous?" Reiko wondered in a superior fashion.

"Jealous? No. Furious? _You better believe it!"_ the boy declared even as several other students made noises of angry agreement.

"Oh, c'mon, everyone...!" Mana started!

"Look, I _coulda_ handled losing to you in _science,_ okay?!" the boy informed them, though his furious tone of voice made that statement dubious at best. "But that wasn't enough for you, _was it?!_ You just _had _to make _absolutely certain _that you won and had everybody looking at you and all the rest! Why else would you have done _that?!"_

Wincing at this, Mana grinned sheepishly as she looked over her shoulder, and saw the stage that she and her friends had set up. A stage upon which the boys' and girls' swim teams were presently dancing in minimalist attire, all the while AC-DC's 'Shoot to Thrill' was blaring from every single speaker.

"Just how in the holy hell were you able to get _both swim teams _and all of the rest of it set up for this blasted fair?!" the boy continued to complain. "Or get permission for the fireworks, or the music, or - or - or _any of it?!"_

Feeling a drop of sweat rolling down the side of her face, Mana shrugged helplessly before admitting, "Well...let's just say that I promised to...upgrade a few things for the principal." When several looked were leveled at her, she let out an embarrassed chuckle before adding, "And _no, _I'm not telling _any of you _what they are!"

"Besides, you all would've lost, anyway!" Reiko declared even as she started busting a move. "So why not kick back and shoot to thrill?"

The boy just stood there, glaring pure malice at the three of them before declaring, "I hate you three. So much."

"Like we care!" Reiko declared even as Mana found herself wondering if this had been one of her better ideas.


End file.
